California is working to proactively block use of the 'affluenza' defense after a teen in Texas used his upper class upbringing as an excuse for causing the deaths of four people and seriously wounding two others while drunk driving. It would be the first such law in the country, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Ethan Couch, 16, was given 10 years probation and ordered to a ritzy rehabilitation clinic for alcoholism after pleading guilty to four counts of manslaughter. The Tarrant District Attorney had sought the maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, but Couch was given the surprisingly lenient sentence after his defense team successfully argued that the teen didn't fully appreciate the consequences of his actions due to his privileged life.
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