A four-year-old DUI case against Tiffany Haddish just lost some of its evidence. A Fayette County Court judge ruled Wednesday that one field sobriety test thrown out of the comedian’s Georgia proceedings, along with several statements she made to police during the arrest. The decision marks a rare win for Haddish in a legal battle her attorneys have called “career-damaging.”
The Tiffany Haddish DUI case dates back to a 2022 traffic stop. But Wednesday’s ruling specifically targeted the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus (HGN) test, the common eye-tracking sobriety exam. The judge determined the arresting officer administered it incorrectly after Haddish disclosed she has a lazy eye.
According to court records, Haddish told the officer about her lazy eye before the test began. The officer did not ask follow-up questions or adjust the procedure. He simply administered the standard test anyway. The judge found this made the results unreliable, ruling prosecutors cannot present them at trial.
The court also suppressed statements Haddish made during the arrest. The officer told her they needed “to address something” and mentioned smelling weed. The judge concluded this constituted an interrogation requiring a Miranda warning, which Haddish never received. A reasonable person, the ruling stated, would feel compelled to respond with an explanation.
Prosecutors can still use two other field sobriety tests. The case is not dismissed. But Haddish’s legal team, attorneys Marissa Goldberg and Drew Findling, has grown visibly frustrated. They recently filed a motion to dismiss the four-year-old misdemeanor entirely, arguing the delay violates Haddish’s right to a speedy trial.
No injuries or fatalities occurred in the original incident. Her lawyers argue the case has outlived any public purpose and now only serves to harm a career that has already moved forward. Wednesday’s ruling doesn’t end the fight. But it shifts the balance, and suggests a judge is finally listening to the defense.
