Lawyers for 'affluenza' teen seek his release from jail
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Lawyers for "affluenza" teenager Ethan Couch argue in a court filing that he should be released from jail because the judge in his case had no jurisdiction in the matter.
The 19-year-old Couch is serving nearly two years in a North Texas jail for a 2013 drunken-driving wreck that killed four people.
But his lawyers claim in a motion filed Tuesday that because he was 16 at the time, the case should have remained in juvenile court and been treated as a civil action.
They argue that because the case was improperly transferred to adult criminal court, the judge had no authority to sentence Couch.
Couch's case drew broad attention because a psychologist at trial blamed his actions on affluenza — acting irresponsibly due to wealth.