ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Drunken-driving charges against an upstate New York woman have been dismissed based on an unusual defense: Her body is a brewery.
A lawyer representing the woman says her blood-alcohol level has been recorded at four times the legal limit when she hasn’t had a drink. She didn’t discover her rare condition until after her arrest.
Attorney Joseph Marusak says he submitted medical evidence of his client’s condition, known as “auto-brewery syndrome,” to a suburban Buffalo judge who dismissed the DWI charges this month.
The condition is believed to be caused by high levels of yeast in the gut. The woman is now on a low-carbohydrate diet that has brought it under control.
Marusak declined to name the woman, citing medical confidentiality laws, and he says the case has been sealed.
