A judge declares that the 'Easy A' actress is mentally stable enough to fully comprehend the nature of the legal proceedings.
- Nov 21, 2013
AceShowbiz - After previously being absent, Amanda Bynes is now expected to show up in person the next time her DUI case is presented to a judge. Despite her lawyer's claim that the former child actress was mentally unfit to stand trial, a judge who evaluated her case at the mental health court ruled otherwise.
Bynes' DUI case stemmed from an early morning accident in April 2012 when she allegedly scraped a patrol car. She pled not guilty in June. The criminal proceedings were put on hold after her lawyer declared "a 1368 PC [Penal Code] hearing to declare a doubt to mental competency."
She was involved in a series of traffic violations last year, including two hit-and-run incidents which she later settled. She was also charged with driving on suspended license. She was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered by a judge to pay $300 in fines, after pleading no contest.
The former child actress, 27, was put on an involuntary 5150 psychiatric hold in July after setting a fire on a stranger's driveway near her family's home in Thousand Oaks, California. She was then placed in a long-term psychiatric treatment under a temporary conservatorship of her parents.
She is now seeking help in a rehab facility and expected to return home in time for Christmas. "Upon recommendation by the skilled healthcare professionals at UCLA Medical Center, Amanda is receiving specialized treatment in a private facility outside of Los Angeles. Amanda is making great strides towards recovery," her parents said in a statement.
