Attorney explains why the Irvine doctor accused of poisoning her husband poured Drano into cup
The Orange County dermatologist and wife accused of poisoning her husband was using Drano in her kitchen but not for anything criminal, according to her lawyer.
"The idea that my client, who is a 45-year-old well-respected dermatologist in Orange County, would destroy her life, destroy her children's lives and try to kill her husband is just completely absurd and untrue — and for that matter defamatory," said her attorney David Wohl.
Emily Yu was arrested last week after her husband Jack Chen, another local doctor, brought images of Yu allegedly pouring Drano into his lemonade to Irvine police. His attorney said Chen allegedly caught his wife in the kitchen in July and allegedly documented his wife pouring Drano on three separate occasions.
Yu's lawyer David Wohl said that plumbing issues caused his client to use Drano and that she poured the chemical into a cup so it would not splash.
While screenshots were provided in court papers, CBSLA requested the videos to be released but was denied.
"Anytime she poured Drano into a cup it was completely empty," said Wohl. "It was for facilitating use in the sink or any other part of the house that was clogged as far as the drainage goes..but she never poured any Drano or any chemical into any drink that the father or her husband used or was drinking ever that's completely untrue."
According to his lawyer, the husband told police that he'd been noticing a chemical test in his lemonade and had been sick for months. Chen, who is a radiologist, was diagnosed with stomach ulcers, gastritis and inflammation of the esophagus.
Yu's lawyer said she does not know how her husband ingested Drano, or if he actually did.
"But we do know that he was desperate for a divorce filing," said Wohl. "He was desperate to have reasons to gain custody of the children. We believe completely that these claims he made are all part and parcel of that effort."
Chen's lawyer disputed Yu's accounts.
While she has been suspended from work, Yu has been bailed out of jail and was not charged as of Wednesday afternoon.
