Wednesday, 11 July 2007

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Nicole Richie offered plea deal in DUI case

Her lawyers will decide whether to accept deal on Wednesday

Nicole Richie has been offered a plea deal in her DUI case, and her lawyers are due in court Wednesday to decide whether or not to accept it, according to a court spokesman.

Richie, who was spotted heading to Canada with her boyfriend Joel Madden on Tuesday, is not required to attend the hearing in Los Angeles.

Allan Parachini, spokesman for the L.A. County Superior Court said he does not know exactly when the plea deal was offered, but said that Richie's attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, is expected to appear on behalf of her client and decide to either accept or reject the deal.

The district attorney's office had no comment. Terms of the plea deal have not been disclosed.

On Tuesday, Richie's hearing was delayed after her lawyer filed a motion stating that an expert witness was not available. The witness is Terence McGee, a medical doctor specializing in drug abuse, who is expected to challenge the prosecution's scientific evidence against Richie.

"His testimony will be critical to Miss Richie's case and there is no other expert retained by the defense who can testify in this regard," Richie attorney Shawn Chapman Holley wrote.

The DUI case stems from an incident in December in which Richie, 25, was spotted driving the wrong way on a Los Angeles freeway. She failed a field sobriety test and admitted to police that she'd smoked marijuana and taken Vicodin earlier that evening.

In June of 2003 Richie was convicted of a DUI. Although California law states that repeat DUI offenders get a minimum three months in jail, that sentence can be reduced to only four days if the person accepts a three-year probation term.