Lawyer of the Day: Anne Bremner - 'I'm famous... You can't arrest me.'

A Seattle reader brought a remarkable tale to our attention. He sent along some links about prominent attorney Anne Bremner and her recent brush with the law, along with this commentary:

Anne is a high-profile lawyer — at least here in the Northwest. She is a legal analyst for lots of broadcast media outlets. There is lots of hubris here, so I immediately thought of Above the Law.

Does Anne Bremner view herself as “above the law”? On the night that she was arrested for drunken driving, she allegedly said all sorts of things to various police officers, including but not limited to the following:

  • “I will sue your ass.”
  • “I’m famous. It’ll be bad for you guys.”
  • “You can’t arrest me. I represent Seattle and King County. You are making a mistake.”
  • “I represent you guys. Come on, take me home.”

Sounds like a charming lass, doesn’t she? Let’s get to know her a little better….

Bremner’s unfortunate tale was covered in the Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, among other outlets. The reports were based on documents released earlier this week by the King County Sheriff’s Office, over the opposition of Bremner. She claimed that the arrest records, including 911 tapes, would violate her privacy (no), hurt her reputation (yes), and not be of interest to the public (oh no, we’re definitely interested).

Sponsored

According to the Seattle Times, Bremner placed two calls to 911 on the evening of June 3, about an hour before she was pulled over for and arrested for DUI. Bremner allegedly offered quite a tale:

She said she had been a victim of a hit-and-run accident and suffered a brain injury that mimicked the signs of alcohol impairment.

(You know what also mimics the signs of alcohol impairment? Alcohol impairment.)

According to a follow-up investigation by the Sheriff’s Office, the damage to Bremner’s car was consistent with driving over a curb and the car did not show signs of being involved in a hit and run.

Bremner later backed away from her initial explanation of the situation:

Sponsored

Last week, Bremner reversed course and pleaded guilty to the DUI in King County District Court in Shoreline. She was sentenced to two days in jail, fined $5,000 and ordered to have an ignition lock installed in her car.

A DUI conviction is certainly an embarrassing episode for Bremner, a prominent figure in the Seattle legal community. Check out her website, where she touts her five years as “as a highly successful, tough, and focused King County Prosecutor”; mentions that she came thisclose to being the U.S. Attorney for Seattle; and brags about a gaggle of awards (including one that honors lawyers of “excellent character and absolute integrity”).

According to the police reports, Anne Bremner was slurring her speech and wobbly on her feet before she was arrested. During and after the arrest, Bremner allegedly mouthed off to various officers, uttering the remarks highlighted above — “I’m famous,” “You can’t arrest me,” etc.

Bremner apparently tried to get out of trouble by dropping the fact that she sometimes represents and works with the Seattle Police Department. But as we all know, that tactic can create more problems than it solves. Remember the Iowa prosecutor-to-be who tried that trick, then lost her job after it came to light?

Even after she was arrested, Bremner still didn’t calm down. The Seattle Times reports on some Lohan-esque tantrums:

As she was being driven to the King County Jail, Bremner called Moen a liar, the Sheriff’s Office reports say. She began “hitting her head” on the plastic partition between the front and back seats in the police cruiser, apparently upset the deputy “wasn’t responding to her comments,” the reports say….

Once in the precinct holding cell, according to the police reports, she pounded on the door and yelled “somebody help me” and “let me out right now.” She lay on the bench and “cried hysterically,” police said.

This doesn’t sound like very intelligent behavior — even though Bremner, as she mentions on her website, is supposedly one of the “25 Smartest People” in Washington state.

For those of you with a thirst for the salacious, we’ve given you just a few sips of this story. Check out the far more detailed versions over at the Post-Intelligencer and the Times.

UPDATE (5/12/11): Anne Bremner attributes her alleged conduct to bipolar disorder. You can read her account of the night in question over here (via Before You Take That Pill).

Bremner: ‘I represent Seattle police, you can’t arrest me’ [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]
Detailed reports on DUI arrest of attorney Bremner released [Seattle Times]
Anne Melani Bremner [official website]

Earlier: Lawyer of the Day: Prosecutor-To-Be Mouths Off to Officer — and Loses Job