Doctor pleads not guilty to poisoning her husband with DRANO – but still practices medicine
A California dermatologist accused of poisoning her husband with Drano is still practicing medicine despite multiple felony charges.
Yue Yu, 45, also known as “Emily,” was caught on camera pouring the drain cleaner into her husband Jack Chen’s drink, reportedly seriously injuring him.
At a brief hearing Thursday at the Orange County Superior Courthouse in Santa Ana, she pleaded not guilty to four felony counts, including poisoning and domestic violence.
Yu previously had a restraining order against their two children after Chen, 53, accused her of poisoning him three times with the dangerous liquid.
Chen, a radiologist, turned over footage of Yu supposedly pouring the Drano into his lemonade at their $2.7 million mansion to Irvine police.
It was confirmed during the court hearing that she continues to practice medicine after being charged, although it is unclear whether this is in her own practice, or as a dermatologist for a hospital.
Dr. Yue Yu, 45, (pictured), also known as “Emily,” was caught on camera pouring the drain cleaner into her husband Jack Chen’s drink, but is currently still practicing medicine
Yu previously had a restraining order against their two children after Chen, 53 (pictured) accused her of poisoning him three times with the dangerous liquid
Her license is listed as “renewed and current” on the Medical Board of California website, with an expiration date of 2024.
She was charged last month but released on bail and currently has an agreement with the California Department of Justice, which represents the state medical board.
The agreement reportedly allows her to continue practicing medicine pending the outcome of the trial, with Yu facing up to eight years in prison if convicted of all charges.
DailyMail.com contacted California’s Department of Justice and the Medical Board of California, but did not receive an immediate response.
Her lawyers have now accused her husband of “framing” Yu by placing nanny cams around their house, in an attempt to gain the upper hand in the family courts amid their bitter divorce battle.
A judge granted him a restraining order that covered their two children — aged seven and eight — though Yu is now allowed to see her children unsupervised.
Initially, her lawyers claimed she was only using the plunger for its intended purpose and poured it into an “empty cup” to unclog a drain.
Dr. Yu continues to practice medicine after coming to an agreement with the California Department of Justice, which represents the state medical board
Her legal team says Chen told her to put Drano in the cup to kill ants, and used the footage to trigger a divorce filing and felony charges.
Chen, a radiologist, claims he suffered from swelling in his esophagus and stomach ulcers from drinking the enriched liquid
But now they say Chen told her to put Drano in the cup to kill ants, and used the footage to trigger a divorce filing
Scott Simmons, Yu’s attorney, said, “He then frames her after he knows she’s going to do that. He sets up what he calls spy cameras to record her pouring the Drano into the tea.
‘The background to all these facts is, of course, the high-level divorce proceedings that are underway.
“He falsely claims she is trying to poison him. Instead of calling 911, he calls a divorce lawyer.”
Simmons added that Chen has never been to the ER for treatment and the medical evidence does not indicate that he used a plunger.
David Dworakowski, Yu’s divorce attorney, said his client ‘is innocent of these outrageous charges; she looks forward to presenting her case at trial.”
Initially, her lawyers claimed she was only using the plunger for its intended purpose and poured it into an “empty cup” to unclog a drain.
Chen claims he suffered from swelling in his esophagus and stomach ulcers from drinking the enriched liquid
Simmons added that Chen never went to the ER for treatment and the medical evidence does not indicate that he used a drain cleaner.
Yu was arrested on August 4 after accusing her of poisoning him, but was released a day later on $30,000 bail.
Steven Hittleman, a lawyer for Chen, claims he suffered swelling in his esophagus and stomach ulcers from drinking the spiked liquid.
At an earlier hearing, the court heard he spent weeks wondering why he fell ill as his legal team released footage of his wife from a hidden camera in their kitchen.
Chen claims he was regularly tortured by his wife and told a court that he denied her a massage and that she “stepped on his head” until he did.
The three dates on which he captured the alleged criminal act on camera were July 11, July 18 and July 25.
Court documents show he claims his wife’s alleged anger and erratic behavior showed up early on, but he didn’t become concerned until after their children were born.
Chen called lawyers in July to share video evidence that his wife tried to spike his hot lemonade with Drano, the chemical typically used to clear blockages in drains
A copy of the domestic violence restraining order issued to Yu on August 5 after she was released
The alleged poison attacks are believed to have occurred at their $2.7 million mansion in Irvine, California
Chen claims that Yu and his mother-in-law, Yuqin ‘Amy’ Gu, started abusing their children when they were only two years old.
He claims the children were abused, beaten, insulted and sleep deprived, and locked in their rooms.
Yu is said to often use a Chinese expression to the children that says “die!”
He said the kids learned early on that “Emily’s reign is everything,” adding, “Emily’s parenting, if you could call it that, revolves around yelling, insulting, verbally abusing, hitting, pushing, pulling and being emotionally abusive .’
Chen said Yu tried to turn the children against him by yelling at them when they told her they loved spending time with him until they “assured her that they wouldn’t show affection” towards their father.
Her next hearing will be July 27 at the Orange County Superior Courthouse.