Why Kerry Kennedy Won Her DWI Case (Hint: It’s Not Because She’s Rich and Powerful)

Kerry Kennedy, daughter of Robert F. Kennedy, of the famous American political dynasty, recently beat charges of driving under the influence of prescription drugs in New York. According to Wikipedia, Kerry Kennedy sideswiped a truck after taking zolpidem, a prescription medication used to treat insomnia and some brain disorders.

Shortly after the incident, Kennedy released a statement: “The results we received today […] showed trace amounts of sleep aid in my system. […] I am deeply sorry for all those I endangered that day.”

Kennedy argued that she accidentally took the sleep aid in place of thyroid medication, which presumably would not have caused the extreme drowsiness that led to the accident.

She recently beat the charges, as we mentioned above, and on a TODAY Show interview, Kennedy told Matt Lauer that there were three reasons she won:

1. The fact of her innocence

2. She had good legal counsel

3. She was willing to go to trial

Kennedy faced up to a year behind bars if convicted, which is one of the many penalties for DWI, and expressed concern that commentators thought she was treated any differently because of her last name and the family into which she was born.