HOLLYWOOD—Actress Amanda Bynes was ordered by a judge on Thursday, July 25 to remain under psychiatric hold for an additional 14 days as her parents claim she is “a substantial risk to herself and others.”
The 27-year-old’s parents began to pursue a conservatorship for Bynes after she allegedly started a fire on the driveway of an elderly woman’s home in Thousand Oaks on Monday, July 22. She was also seen on security tapes going into a liquor store in order to wash off gasoline from her dog that she reportedly used to start the fire. Bynes was held 72 hours for a mental health evaluation after the incident. During her time under evaluation, medical professionals stated Bynes has shown signs of schizophrenia.
Bynes was confronted by police earlier in the week as she was seen outside a retirement home in the same area. Managers from the facility called the authorities claiming the actress was trespassing and attempted to go inside the retirement home while intoxicated.
In court documents, Bynes’ parents state she is “extremely paranoid about being watched,” covers smoke alarms with towels and tries to prevents cameras from shooting her by taping her windows shut. The documents go on to say that Bynes has “profound issues with her body image” and “is obsessed with the fact that she (and others) are ugly.”
They also claim that Bynes had $4 million in her bank account but has been spending a lot of money in a short amount of time. She is said to have withdrawn $100,000 on June 4 and another $100,000 on July 2 to which they believe is being spent on marijuana and other illegal substances. If the judge grants her parents the conservatorship, Bynes will lose the right to make various decisions for herself until the court deems her capable.
Judge Glen M. Reiser, however, stated in a court hearing on Friday, July 26 that he would not make a decision until he heard from Bynes’ lawyers and doctors.
“This is not a case where there’s an emergency right now, and because conservatorships of the person and estate involve liberty and property interests, there are a lot of t’s we need to cross and i’s we need to dot,” said Reiser.
Bynes’ parents, Rick and Lynn Bynes, will return to court on August 9.
By Ivetta Babadjanian
