Lawyer Who Failed Courthouse Breath Test When She Arrived for Client Hearing Now Faces Criminal Case
Corrected: A California lawyer has been criminally charged after allegedly appearing at court to represent clients at hearings in a drunken state.
Michelle Winspur is accused of blowing twice the legal limit on Oct. 7, when she was given a breath-alcohol test as she entered Kings County Superior Court in Hanford, reports the Visalia Times-Delta.
She was tested because a court clerk said she sounded drunk when she called to say she was going to be late for trial.
Winspur, now 45, also failed a sobriety test she was given on Dec. 8 as she left court after a client hearing, according to the Times-Delta and the Hanford Sentinel.
She was criminally charged in Kings County both with appearing in court under the influence and with drunken driving because she was seen driving to court prior to the Oct. 7 breath test, Larry Crouch told the Times-Delta. He serves as chief trial deputy for the Kings County district attorney.
Already facing an attorney discipline case for allegedly being drunk during a 2010 trial in Monterey County, Winspur had her law license suspended earlier this month.
A defense lawyer pleaded not guilty on her behalf to the criminal charges last week, but Winspur herself did not appear because she apparently is in rehab.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Fla. Lawyer Facing 3rd DUI, Has Been Accused of Drinking on the Job, But Has No Disciplinary Record”
Updated Jan. 27 to correct the spelling of Monterey County.
Correction
Updated Jan. 27 to correct the spelling of Monterey County.
