Judge Declares Mistrial In Britney Spears Driver’s License Case

A Los Angeles court judge declared a mistrial in the Britney Spears driver’s license case Tuesday after jurors were unable to come to a unanimous decision, following nearly two days of deliberations.

“This is a victory for Ms. Spears,” the pop star’s lawyer, Michael Flanagan, told Access Hollywood shortly after the mistrial was called.

As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, Spears’ trial on the charge of driving without a valid license, began last Wednesday at a San Fernando Valley, California courthouse. Jurors began their deliberations after receiving the case on Friday afternoon.

The case stems from an incident in August 2007, when Spears hit a parked car, while parking her Mercedes-Benz. She left — without leaving a note.

The owner of the other vehicle later filed a police report and Spears was charged a month later with misdemeanor hit-and-run and driving without a valid California license. The hit-and-run charges were dismissed in October 2007 after Spears paid an undisclosed sum to the owner.

Testimony lasted for about a day in Spears’ trial, though the pop star was not required to and did not appear at the courthouse during the case.

Twelve jurors began deliberating on Friday afternoon, but were sent home for the weekend by the judge after failing to reach a verdict in just over two hours. They deliberated again on Monday, and reportedly were deadlocked 10-2. It was not immediately clear which way the jurors voted.

Prosecutors had argued Spears was required to obtain a valid California driver’s license. Her attorney, however, argued that the pop star had a license at the time of the incident, from where her primary residence was – Louisiana. She has since obtained a California license.

Spears’ attorney, Michael Flanagan, had previously rejected a plea deal, which would have resulted in a $150 fine and 12 months probation for the singer.