27-year-old actress, Amanda Bynes, was charged with a misdemeanor DUI back in April of 2012, when she scraped her black Mercedes along side a California patrol car. In June of 2012, the “What a Girl Wants” film scarlet hired DUI attorney Rich Hutton and decided to plead not guilty. Over a year later from the date of the arrest, Amanda’s DUI case was going to trial. However, defense attorney Hutton showed up to court this past Tuesday, without Bynes by his side, to explain to the judge that Bynes could not undergo trial due to lack of the mental capacity to “understand the nature of the legal proceedings.”
Amanda Bynes has been under long-term care at a psychiatric ward since July of 2013 and is currently under a court ordered conservatorship, meaning she has an assigned guardian to assist and/or manage her daily activities and finances due to her mental limitations. Allegedly Amanda’s mental diagnosis is complicated and may involve split personalities and/or schizophrenia.
During the DUI trial proceedings, the judge agreed with defense lawyer Hutton and decided to transfer Amanda’s DUI case to a mental health court where the new judge will conduct a hearing to determine Bynes’ mental competence.
Written by S.O