Crime & Safety

Kerry Kennedy's Trial Gets Feb. 24 Date

Attorney tells press that a motion to dismiss has been filed, which is the second for the case.

Kerry Kennedy, who is accused of impaired driving, has a Feb. 24 trial date, her attorney disclosed.

Gerald Lefcourt, who spoke with reporters following a court appearance on Thursday in White Plains, also said that jury selection will start on Feb. 20.

Kennedy, who lives in Bedford and is part of the prominent Kennedy family, was arrested in July 2012 after an alleged collision on Interstate 684 in the Town of North Castle involving her vehicle and a truck. Her previous court appearances were held at North Castle's town court in Armonk. However, the case has been moved to White Plains, according to Lefcourt, with facility space for jurors, press and the public being a factor. Lefcourt likened the previous space to a “meeting room.”

The White Plains court building houses Westchester County's court and New York's state supreme court.

Talking to reporters, Lefcourt said that the judge met with the parties, with discussion of a trial date being a subject.

The defense counsel noted that she took a sleeping pill accidentally. In paperwork submitted for the case, Kennedy admitted to taking sleeping medication accidentally, which she was prescribed, instead of her thyroid medication prior to leaving home to go to a gym.

Lefcourt said it is “not a crime if it's an accidental ingestion.” 

Lefcourt also told journalists that a motion to dismiss has been filed, which is the second time in the course of the case. A previous request had been made, unsuccessfully, to North Castle Town Justice Elyse Lazansky.


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