Rehab employee sacked over Lohan 'attack'

The Betty Ford Centre said today the renowned rehab clinic had sacked an employee who accused actress Lindsay Lohan of attacking her.

Centre spokesman Russ Patrick said Dawn Holland was dismissed for breaking patient confidentiality at the Palm Desert, California, clinic by giving interviews and “disclosing a privileged document”.

He said Ms Holland’s interview was a breach of trust and the rehabilitation process.

“When patients come to the centre for treatment, they come to a safe place where their identity is protected, where anonymity is safeguarded,” he said.

“Their simple priority when in treatment is to learn how to live a life free of alcohol and other drugs.

“Confidentiality and trust are key to the treatment and recovery process.”

Mean Girls star Lohan, 24, is being investigated by Riverside County sheriff’s detectives for misdemeanour battery following a confrontation on December 12.

A police spokeswoman said deputies were called to the Betty Ford centre shortly after 1am after an altercation between Lohan and Ms Holland.

Lohan’s lawyer said the actress called the police emergency number.

Neither Betty Ford nor sheriff’s officials identified Ms Holland, but she appeared in an interview on celebrity website TMZ, claiming Lohan and two other girls had sneaked out of the centre.

Ms Holland said she was trying to get Lohan to submit to a breathalyser test when the actress became belligerent, pushed her and snatched a phone from her hand, straining her arm.

Riverside County sheriff’s deputy Herlinda Valenzuela said Lohan’s case would be presented to prosecutors, who would decide whether Lohan should be charged.

Lohan has been receiving treatment at the centre and its facilities, about 120 miles east of Los Angeles, since late September.

A judge overseeing her probation for a three-year-old drink-driving case has required Lohan to remain at the rehab centre until January 3.

Los Angeles Superior Court judge Elden Fox has scheduled a hearing on Lohan’s progress for February 25. He has said he would be willing to place her on informal probation and allow her to leave Los Angeles if she stayed out of trouble.

But the judge also said in September that it would be her last opportunity to avoid a significant jail stay.

Prosecutors had been seeking a six-month jail term after the actress failed a drug test within weeks of being released early from another court-ordered rehab programme.

Lohan’s stint at Betty Ford is her fifth stay in rehab and her second this year.

Beginning in July, she was jailed for 14 days, followed by three weeks at inpatient rehab. Fox agreed to release her early from treatment at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Centre in late August based on doctor’s recommendations.