Tiffany Haddish DUI: Georgia judge denies motion, sets trial
Comedian Tiffany Haddish performs at Laugh Factory Hollywood's 43rd Thanksgiving Feast And Show at Laugh Factory on November 23, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Olivia Wong/Getty Images)
FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. - Comedian and actor Tiffany Haddish is scheduled to stand trial next month after a Fayette County judge denied her push to have a long-delayed driving under the influence case thrown out.
Judge Jason B. Thompson issued an order rejecting Haddish’s motion to dismiss, which claimed her constitutional right to a speedy trial had been violated. Following the ruling, the court officially scheduled her trial date.
RELATED STORY: Tiffany Haddish's Georgia DUI: Motion claims speedy trial rights violated
What we know:
Haddish’s trial is now strictly set for Aug. 10 at 8:30 a.m. in Fayette County State Court.
Judge Thompson denied the defense’s motion to dismiss, ruling against their arguments that the lengthy timeline caused "actual and tangible prejudice" to Haddish's life and career. The court found that the defense failed to show enough evidence of concrete harm to outweigh the legal standards of the delay. Furthermore, the state filed an additional motion in limine and a motion to compel, trying to block any expert defense witnesses whose underlying data was not previously disclosed and approved.
Haddish faces seven misdemeanor counts, including DUI alcohol, DUI drugs, driving under the influence of multiple substances, DUI per se, failure to obey a traffic control device, improper stopping on a roadway, and a parking violation.
The backstory:
The charges stem from an early morning incident on Jan. 14, 2022, when Peachtree City police officers arrested Haddish after receiving a report of a driver asleep at the wheel.
RELATED STORY: Tiffany Haddish planning to fight DUI charge in Georgia court
The case has dragged on for nearly 52 months. In May 2026, Haddish’s legal team filed a speedy trial motion to dismiss, pointing out that they had announced they were "ready for trial" at least 10 times and sent approximately a dozen reminders to the court regarding outstanding rulings. Her defense argued that the unresolved case restricted her international work travel and cost her major corporate contracts.
However, in his recent ruling, Judge Thompson placed partial blame for the multi-year timeline back on the defense. The judge noted that Haddish’s legal team filed 15 separate leaves of absence due to scheduling conflicts with other cases, removing her from five separate trial calendars. He also cited a trial continuance requested by Haddish herself so she could attend a fashion show in Morocco.
What we don't know:
It remains unknown whether Haddish’s defense team will attempt to negotiate a plea agreement with prosecutors over the next few weeks to avoid a public trial altogether.
The Source: The information in this article was gathered from court documents from the Fayette County State Court and previous reporting by FOX 5 Atlanta.