UPDATE: TMZ has now changed their story entirely. They now report that there was no preliminary hearing today and that it is actually scheduled for May 18th. In which case, Ghalib has not yet been ordered to stand trial. Sorry for the confusion.
A Van Nuys, California judge has decided that there is sufficient evidence for Britney Spears’ ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib to stand trial for allegedly hitting a process server with his car back in February. Although TMZ reports that Ghalib must now “appear for a preliminary hearing on May 18 to set a trial date”, this is inaccurate. What happened today was a preliminary hearing. The May 18th date is just a scheduling hearing date.
In a criminal case filed by complaint, there must first be a preliminary hearing (which is actually often waived by the defendant) in which evidence is presented by the prosecutor to show the judge that there is probable cause to allow the case to proceed to trial. In this case, Ghalib is charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon, felony battery and felony hit-and-run.
The court also granted a temporary restraining order against Ghalib on behalf of Ram Maskowtiz — the process server he allegedly hit — and another man.
I’ve heard that this case could cause immigration problems for Ghalib so I won’t be surprised if he rolls the dice and goes to trial. Nothing to lose?
