A judge has decided to proceed with the manslaughter trial of an event designer accused of fatally pushing a devoted Broadway singing instructor on a New York City street in spite of the protests of her expensive high-profile defence lawyer.
Tuesday’s short session was attended by Lauren Pazienza, 26, and Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Felicia Mennin scolded her attorney Arthur Aidala for doing everything in his power to postpone the trial.
He objected, saying “I’m not ready to commit to a trial date.” There are hundreds of hours of discovery that we haven’t even begun to explore.
Mennin said, “I’m going to set up a trial date, and you can tell me why you’re ready or not at that time.”
The trial date for Pazienza, who is accused of manslaughter in the pushing death of Barbara Gustern, 87, was subsequently set by the court for October 6.
In an unprovoked assault on Gustern on March 10 in Chelsea, Pazienza is accused of calling her a “b-ch” and pushing her to the ground.
Pazienza, a former Long Island event designer, was up in court on Tuesday dressed in a white long-sleeved T-shirt, beige slacks, and a blue face mask.
She has entered a not guilty plea to the counts of manslaughter and assault and has turned down a plea bargain for a 15-year sentence.
She hired celebrity lawyer Arthur Aidala, 54, last month. He is renowned for taking on high-profile clients who are subject to intense media scrutiny.
He has previously defended people like Anthony Weiner, Harvey Weinstein, Rudolph Giuliani, Alan M. Dershowitz, and Roger Ailes.
On the day Pazienza was originally named as a suspect in Gustern’s killing, a friend of Aidala reportedly asked him if he would speak with Pazienza’s family.
This information comes from a recent New York Times feature.
Daniel and Caroline Pazienza, his parents, reside on Long Island, where he runs a small company that cleans cesspools.
The Times said that even though they were unable to pay Aidala’s standard hourly cost of $950, they and Pazienza’s grandparents agreed to a payment plan with the lawyer that drew on their combined assets and pensions.
Aidala has claimed in court that the family is not wealthy and that Pazienza is not a flight risk.
Aidala blames the decision to detain her without bond on the case’s considerable media coverage. She is now being imprisoned on Rikers Island.
The 26-year-old event designer is accused of starting the unprovoked assault on the elderly lady as she sought to hail a taxi while on a “wine-fueled rage.”
She reportedly shouted at the victim while pushing her to the ground, calling her a b****. Five days later, the victim passed away from her injuries.
Pazienza had been visiting various art galleries in Chelsea with her fiance, Naveen Pereira, as they counted down to their wedding.
The wedding was scheduled on June 18 and the couple had 100 days till the big day.
Before the pair went to lunch at a Chelsea park, Pazienza drank many glasses of wine from several galleries.
When a park attendant approached the two and informed them that they had to go since the park was about to close, they were still eating their meal.
According to McNabney, “the defendant grew enraged, began yelling and swearing at the park staff, tossed her meal upon her fiancé, and rushed out of the park.”
Pazienza and her fiancé split off in two separate routes, with Pereira, according to him, going in the direction of the Astoria flat the two shared
She was moving in the direction of West 28th Street near Eighth Avenue when she ran into the voice trainer.
Following a nearby rehearsal, the woman claims Pazienza called her a “b***h” and threw her into the pavement.
Prosecutors claim that following the event, Pazienza called her fiance and reportedly saw as an ambulance came to assist Gustern and take her away.
According to the prosecution, Pazienza didn’t disclose pushing Gustern to her fiance.
Instead, the prosecution said, “she proceeded to dispute with her fiancé, accusing him of spoiling her night.”
That evening, just before they went to bed, the defendant turned to her fiancé for the first time and admitted that she had shoved someone. She went away after saying that she believed the individual had fallen.
Pazienza reportedly admitted to her fiancé that she shoved Gustern because she wasn’t sure what Gustern may have said to her.
Pazienza ran away from the event and went to live with her parents on Long Island, where she erased her social media accounts and wedding website.
When the event, she remained unharmed for 11 days until turning herself in after the NYPD reportedly published images of her.
She was given a $500,000 bail bond after being charged with assault and manslaughter, but in May the court cancelled it due to her flight risk.
Gustern’s family had warm memories of her as a voice instructor who had worked with artists including Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry.