Lawyer Claims Kombucha Tea Responsible For Blowing Almost 4 Times Legal Limit In Drunk Driving Case

Ironically, her argument is some weak tea.

Never underestimate the creative spirit of an attorney.

A corporate attorney in the UK was pulled over in North Wales after her Range Rover had trouble staying in the country’s preferred wrong lane. After blowing a 135 — almost 4 times over the country’s 35 microgram per 100mL, she looked to be in quite a bit of trouble. Thankfully she has a theory of the case:

Louise Taylor, 41, of Holmes Chapel Road, Sandbach, Cheshire, said she did not believe the Kombucha was alcoholic.

Her solicitor said it appeared the wrong type of yeast was used and the drink had brewer’s yeast in it.

I mean… Kombucha is naturally slightly alcoholic but it’s like half as much alcohol by volume as a mass produced light beer and if she drank enough at that level to blow a 135, she’d have other problems — like her stomach exploding from the volume of liquid. It seems unlikely that even brewer’s yeast would transform tea brewed “using yeast and mushrooms” into Wild Turkey. Taylor’s “inconsistency… as to how much wine she drank that day” probably played a bigger role.

The court seems to agree:

But court chairman Graham Edwards said: “There’s no evidence to support there was a significant level of alcohol in the Kombucha.”

Alas it was worth a shot. Specifically a shot of Kombucha 151.

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HeadshotJoe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.

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