LOS ANGELES — A Lindsay Lohan associate held talks with an attorney for a Betty Ford clinic medical technician, whom she is under investigation on suspicion of allegedly battering, with a view to a sit-down meeting that could have been filmed or photographed and possibly sold, said sources familiar with the discussions.
Riverside County, Calif., prosecutors are reviewing and reinvestigating the battery allegations, although the medical technician has decided not to cooperate with authorities after making the initial allegations.
But detectives say there is enough evidence to charge Lohan with battery and her actions amounted to a violation of her probation for a 2007 driving-under-the-influence conviction.
Technician Dawn Holland initially told Riverside County sheriff’s investigators that when she tried to administer an alcohol test on Lohan on Dec. 12, the actress grabbed her wrist and hurt it.
Later that month, Holland spoke to TMZ.com and restated the allegations, leading the Betty Ford Center to fire her for breach of confidentiality.
Holland then had a change of heart and informed authorities through a Beverly Hills lawyer that she did not want to pursue the matter because as a recovering addict herself, she sympathized with Lohan.
Sources connected with the potential meeting say neither the actress nor any associate paid any money to Holland.
But according to a source familiar with the discussions, a Lohan representative agreed to “help out” the medical technician with a meeting between the actress and medical staffer.
“There was never any discussion of money,” said a source.
However, the meeting plan was ultimately rejected by Lohan’s camp.
“She felt disrespect,” said a Holland associate of the Lohan representative’s actions.
If there had been a meeting, the source said, Holland could have sold video or photos of the encounter to the tabloid media.
Holland terminated her representation Thursday by Beverly Hills attorney Keith Davidson, who confirmed Friday that he is no longer representing her and said she has retained a Rancho Mirage attorney. Davidson said he could not discuss the matter because of attorney-client privilege.
Law enforcement sources have said they believe Lohan not only battered Holland but failed to comply with the technician’s request for a Breathalyzer test, also a potential probation violation.
Shawn Chapman Holley, Lohan’s attorney, has publicly questioned why authorities in Palm Desert issued a statement on her client’s probation, which they did after the alleged Dec. 12 altercation.
“The important, yet limited, investigatory role of the police to gather facts and collect evidence is well-established,” Chapman Holley said.
According to sources, investigators in Palm Desert asked L.A. County probation officials to arrest Lohan after the Dec. 12 incident, but L.A. County authorities said they would not take any action without charges being filed in Riverside County.
Lohan spent three months at the Betty Ford Center under orders by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Elden S. Fox, who spared the actress jail time in October after she tested positive for drugs. He directed her to stay at the center through January.
Fox warned Lohan that he would put her in jail for six months if she violated probation again. It was her fifth time in rehab and she has been to jail three times in connection with the case.
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