LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Lindsay Lohan on Thursday added financial woes to four years of legal problems when she was slapped with a $1 million assault lawsuit and a court heard she was having problems paying for private counseling.
Lohan, 25, whose Hollywood career has been derailed since 2007 by drug and alcohol problems and repeated trips to jail, was ordered to undergo psychological counseling earlier this year as part of her sentence for stealing a gold necklace in January.
But her lawyer told a court hearing on Thursday that the "Mean Girls" actress had not yet enrolled in therapy because finding low-cost, individual treatment was proving a challenge.
"I find it hard to believe that she can't afford counseling," responded Melanie Chavira, the prosecutor at the Los Angeles City Attorney's office who is overseeing Lohan's case.
Judge Stephanie Sautner replied that she did not wish to speculate on Lohan's finances, but added:
"She needs to get into counseling. I am going to give her 21 days (to enroll).
"I don't know whether she is working or what she is doing to get an income...If she doesn't have the means, maybe she knows someone who can help out."
Lohan's lawyer Shawn Holley said Lohan indicated that finding financial aid would not be necessary.
Thursday's hearing came the same day that a former employee of a California rehab center filed a $1 million lawsuit against Lohan.
Dawn Bradley claimed in the civil lawsuit that Lohan yelled at her, threw a phone, grabbed her wrist and twisted it when asked to submit to a breathalyzer test in December at the Betty Ford Center near Palm Springs.
Bradley claimed she suffered "significant injury" to her wrist as well as "post-traumatic stress syndrome requiring several therapy sessions." Bradley is seeking damages of $1 million as well as medical expenses.
Prosecutors in Riverside County decided earlier this year not to file criminal charges against Lohan over Bradley's allegations, citing insufficient evidence.
Lohan has been to rehab and jail multiple times since a 2007 drunk driving and cocaine possession case. She also served 35 days house arrest in Los Angeles earlier this summer for stealing the gold necklace from a jewelry store.
The child star of "The Parent Trap" and later "Freaky Friday", "Herbie Fully Loaded" and "Bobby", has not made a feature film since the 2010 low-budget action thriller "Machete".
However, she is due to start work in the fall on a major movie about New York crime boss John Gotti with co-stars John Travolta and Al Pacino.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)
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