Betty Ford Clinic fires worker who accused Lindsay Lohan of assaulting her

December 22, 2010 |  7:36 am

The Betty Ford Center has fired an employee who accused Lindsay Lohan of assaulting her, saying the worker violated patient confidentiality by speaking to the media about the case.
It is the first time the renowned rehab center has fired an employee for violating patient privacy in the media, the center said.
The center did not name the employee involved the Dec. 12 police report, but the firing came after TMZ.com posted a video and a document from a woman who complained the actress hurt her wrist and displayed a wrist brace.
"When patients come to the center for treatment, they come to a safe place where their identity is protected, where anonymity is safeguarded," said the center in a statement. "Regrettably, on December 21, 2010, one of our employees violated patients’ confidentiality by talking to the media and by disclosing a privileged document. That employee has been terminated by the Betty Ford Center."
Palm Desert police are completing an investigation into the Dec. 12 incident in which a technician says Lohan battered her during an early-morning confrontation.
The incident also could be determined to be a violation of the terms of her probation in her 2007 drunk-driving arrest, which could send her back to jail. Under the terms of her probation, the "Mean Girls" actress is required to obey all laws.
Palm Desert officers were called to the location at 1:03 a.m. PST for a disturbance at a Betty Ford clinic housing complex. A staffer claimed she had been battered by Lohan, said Sgt. Joseph Borja of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
"The victim desires prosecution," he said.

-- Richard Winton