Britney Spears License Trial

Posted on: October 17, 2008 at 9:56 a.m.

Any trial involving a vehicle can be tricky, whether it's a DUI case or a hit and run, it takes a keen Los Angeles criminal defense attorney to handle such trials.

Britney Spears, the pop-icon, is on trial for a misdemeanor count of driving without a valid license. The trial began with jury selection on Wednesday. The case is the last remnant of an August 2007 incident in which Spears was photographed hitting a parked car and leaving the scene. While Spears settled a hit-and-run charge, here attorney rejected a plea deal that prosecutors offered Spears on the driving-without-a license charge because he said Spears did not want a criminal record. If convicted, Spears faces jail time and a fine, although she has no prior criminal record, so her penalty is unlikely to be severe.

Any criminal charge, whether a misdemeanor or felony, can range from a nuisance to a major problem. Take for example hit and run charges. According to the state of California motor vehicle law, any person convicted of a hit and run will receive 2 points on their California DMV record, as well as be subject to severe detriment by increased auto insurance premiums, if not cancellation of the policy altogether.

When it comes to driving charges, even the most minor of infractions can lead to major headaches. A typical Vehicle Code violation involves the failure to comply with certain provisions of the California Vehicle Code. Every day, people are charged with Vehicle Code violations and traffic infractions in California. Even though Vehicle Code violations, such as speeding, seem common and harmless, they can quickly lead to misdemeanor or felony charges if there are aggravating circumstances present. When a person is convicted of a serious Vehicle Code or traffic violation, he/she can be sentenced with imprisonment, large fines, and driver

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Comments:

Tatiana Oueini on October 21, 2008 at 4:21 p.m. wrote:

I have to agree with previous comments in the sense that Spears' attorney rejected the plea bargain so it can go to trial with the hope of it being sensationalized. But I don't see how a jury would find her innocent. There is sufficient evidence to show that she did in fact hit a car and fled the scene (there were photographers and witnesses) So, if she does go to trial and for some odd reason, the jury finds her innocent, I would say there is serious problem in the legitimacy of the jury system when it comes to high profile cases. In the case that the jury finds her guilty, I might even think that the judge would make her sentence a bit more harsh compared to a regular person to make an example (kind of like what we saw with Paris Hilton).

Diane Srsen on October 21, 2008 at 2:45 a.m. wrote:

I believe that the reason Spears' attorney rejected the plea was to bring even more attention to Britney Spears, although negative, as well as to make a name for himself. She has been in the spotlight for so long now, and people cant seem to get enough of her making bad decisions. If anything, I feel like the judge should make an example of her to show the public that it isn't okay to break laws and get off the hook so easily. Although her charges may be considered a nuisance, the court system shouldn't provide a double standard just because she is a celebrity.

Artyom Baghdishyan on October 19, 2008 at 11:24 p.m. wrote:

In my opinion the reason why Spears' attorney is not going for a deal is the high publicity of this case. Lately, pretty much everything that Britney Spears does is a media magnet, especially her illegal adventures. Therefore, her lawyer strategically advised to reject the plea to share the spotlight and make a name for himself. If a hit-and-run was settled with a deal, then driving without a license could be too.

Christine Paik on October 19, 2008 at 7:35 p.m. wrote:

Many cases do not go to trial because they ended up getting settled through plea bargains. The prosecution and defense have differing reasons for desiring a plea bargain. For the defendant, if a guilty verdict seems likely in the case of a trial, it may be safe to accept a plea bargain because its sentence will be less severe than that of a trial. For the prosecution, a plea bargain guarantees a guilty verdict and can also save time and money. In this specific case for Britney Spears, it makes sense that she and her lawyers decided not to accept a plea bargain--since she does not have a past criminal record, it is unlikely that she will be charged guilty for anything too severe such as jail time. Also, if she accepted the plea bargain, she would be guaranteed a guilty verdict and thus have a criminal record while a trial gives her the chance that she may not be found guilty. These reasons combined give the prosecution little leverage in trying to get a plea bargain out of Spears, so it makes sense that she is going ahead with the trial.

Kestenbaum Eisner & Gorin LLP has been recognized as one of the best U.S. law firms, based on the experience, professionalism, and ethics of its criminal defense lawyers and attorneys. We aggressively defend clients in all Southern California courtrooms on state and federal charges, including DUI, DMV, misdemeanor, felony, juvenile cases, in the following communities and courthouses.

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