Saving Bridget Hall: Ramifications of Her DWI Case

On September 30, in a courtroom in either East Hampton, Central Islip or Riverhead, NY, a young woman will answer to a drunk driving charge.  This woman, once one of the hottest models in the fashion world, has seen her career fizzle to a barely faint pulse in the last five years or so, leading the mainstream press to mostly ignore this story.  The model’s name is Bridget Hall.

In the early morning hours of August 29, 2010, Bridget Hall was pulled over by East Hampton, NY, cops who saw her swerving. Ms. Hall, by her account as given to the New York Post’s “Page Six,” apparently passed the field sobriety tests, but flunked the Breathalyzer test, leading to her arrest and a Driving While Intoxicated charge.  Though this happened in East Hampton, Long Island, NY, Newsday and News 12 Long Island to date have not done a single story about the Bridget Hall case. 

Now Ms. Hall, once the face of Ralph Lauren and Anne Klein, is not only battling to save what’s left of her modeling career, but she’s fighting to stay out of prison. She’s not the only female celebrity to have run afoul of the law recently.  Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan have also had DUI and other arrests in recent years, but they’ve been treated with relative leniency, possibly because they’re still at or near the peak of their fame. 

Bridget Hall, however, has fallen into near total obscurity, and her situation could become a test case of how the legal system treats someone who has enjoyed a measure of past fame but whose star has dimmed. There’s a chance prosecutors may treat her more like an everyday citizen (i.e. more harshly).

In New York, DWI as a misdemeanor is punishable by a fine of $500 to $1000 and/or up to one year in a state prison. If, however, the prosecutor or judge bumps the charge up to the felony level, the convicted driver faces a $1000 to $5000 fine and/or 15 months to four years in prison and/or five years’ probation.  Bridget Hall apparently faces the misdemeanor DWI charge. 

Bridget Hall apparently passed the field sobriety tests and claims she did not drink any alcoholic beverage that night.  I fully believe Ms. Hall’s side of the story, but the Breathalyzer evidence will be extremely difficult to refute. (One blog article links to a Houston Chronicle report about some 1200 wrongful drunk driving convictions that have resulted from erroneous Breathalyzer tests, dramatically illustrating how difficult it is to refute Breathalyzer evidence in a DWI case.) Nevertheless, there is some reasonable doubt about the Breathalyzer results.  First of all, how do we know the Breathalyzer reading wasn’t the result of Bridget eating a dinner or snack prepared with wine, such a rum cake or cherries jubilee?  Maybe the Breathalyzer by chance picked up something she drank more than 12 to 24 hours earlier, which seems possible since the average woman metabolizes alcohol more slowly than a man.  Also, did she take cough medicine that night? This is all assuming that the Breathalyzer was in perfect or near-perfect working condition. There’s also the possibility of a false positive, possibly coming from an acid reflux condition side effect. Because the mainstream press has almost totally ignored the Bridget Hall story, her exact Breathalyzer reading is not yet known, but most states require a minimum Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) of 0.08 for a DWI charge and conviction, and a Breathalyzer BAC reading is considered positive at the 0.02 level.

Based on what I know about the case, even without the Breathalyzer “smoking gun,” there appear to be grounds for a reckless driving charge, or at least a failure to exercise “due care” violation, against Ms. Hall because of the swerving.  Since she insists she had nothing to drink that night, she would never willingly plead guilty to DWI unless absolutely forced to by New York State Law.  However, I can see a scenario (though quite unlikely in New York State) in which Bridget Hall pleads guilty to reckless driving or failure to exercise “due care” in exchange for a dismissal of the DWI charge and little or no jail time.  She would almost certainly have to pay at least a $500 fine and accept the suspension of her license.  Plus, a judge may impose other conditions on Ms. Hall such as community service, drug and alcohol rehab, an anti-drunk driving public service announcement and/or a pledge to stay out of trouble with the law for a year.  Lacking a plea bargain deal, if Ms. Hall continues to fight the DWI charge and is found guilty and is sentenced to significant prison time, her modeling career could suffer.  Since Ms. Hall is 32 and hasn’t been all that visible as a model in years, particularly here in the United States, I don’t believe her modeling career can survive even one year in prison.

Once Bridget Hall’s legal ordeal is over, she faces the difficult task of redeeming herself publicly.  As I said, I believe Bridget is innocent of the DWI charge, but many people will need more convincing. Even if she is exonerated, I think Bridget Hall should still voluntarily seek drug and alcohol counseling.  I also think she should still voluntarily attend a Victim Impact Panel that New York State drivers convicted of DUI/DWI offenses are required to attend.  By doing these things, Bridget will show everyone that she’s not merely “sorry she got caught,” but sorry she got herself into this situation in the first place.  She’ll also show a public commitment to sobriety.

Then there’s the even more difficult task of reviving her modeling career…if she really wants to model anymore.  Last fall, Bridget appeared on the cover of Italian Elle, her first fashion magazine cover anywhere in five years!  This should have been the springboard for a US market comeback.  If Ms. Hall doesn’t have to serve any prison time, that comeback can still happen.  I’d like to see her get into the leanest, buffest physical shape possible (i.e. as close to her 2002 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue physique as possible) and adopt a short, closely-cropped haircut.

I also think Bridget Hall should give back to the fashion industry in some way by actively working with the next generation of potential supermodels.  How?  She should request a meeting with Bravo’s Andy Cohen with an eye toward co-hosting season 3 of Make Me A Supermodel…if Bravo revives the series.  And that short, closely-cropped haircut I suggested, combined with an MMAS wardrobe consisting mostly of tasteful sheath, shift and wrap dresses, can make Bridget Hall look like an authority figure in the eyes of those 16-to-25-year –old women she’ll be teaching modeling to. 

But the best thing Bridget Hall can do to redeem herself and set an example for her MMAS charges is to show a public commitment to sobriety.  I believe in her, and I believe she can do it.

Finally, Bridget Hall could use the prayers and support of her fans worldwide.

Postscript October 2, 2010: As of this update, Bridget Hall’s DWI arraignment hearing should have already taken place.  If anyone knows how that hearing went, please post something using the Comments link.  Thank you.

This article was last updated October 2, 2010.