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An Californian radiologist who accused his dermatologist wife of poisoning him with Drano by pouring it in his lemonade had his claims slammed as ‘completely absurd and untrue’ by his wife’s lawyer.
Yue ‘Emily’ Yu’s lawyer David Wohl said that husband Jack Chen, 53, ‘was desperate to have reasons to gain custody of the children’ after his client was caught with the drain cleaner on a nanny cam in their $2.7million home.
The lawyer claims that the wife, 45, was in fact pouring the chemical into an empty cup to prevent splashing. It was then used to unclog their kitchen pipes.
But Chen says that the toxic substance was poured into his hot lemonade by his ‘abusive’ wife, who he had been with for 10 years.
‘The idea that my client, who is a 45-year-old well-respected dermatologist in Orange County, would destroy her life, destroy her children’s lives and try to kill her husband is just completely absurd and untrue — and for that matter, defamatory,” Wohl said.
Chen’s lawyer, Steven Hittelman, said Chen told police he had noticed a chemical taste in his lemonade and was sick for months. He was later diagnosed with stomach ulcers, gastritis and inflammation of the esophagus, according to a CBS News report.
Jack Chen’s lawyer, Steven Hittelman, said Chen was diagnosed with stomach ulcers, gastritis and inflammation of the esophagus
Chen said he has at least three videos of Yu pouring Drano into his cup. Yu’s lawyer, David Wohl, said she was simply clearing out the plumbing
On August 4 Yue ‘Emily’ Yu was arrested by Irvine Police Department. Before posting the $30,000 bail, she was served with divorce papers and a domestic violence restraining order
Hittelman said Chen called him last month to share video evidence that his wife and mother of this two children tried to spike his hot lemonade with Drano, the chemical substance typically used to rid clogs in drains
Orange County District Attorney’s office Kimberly Edds said that Yu’s arraignment is set for November 3
Any time Yu is seen on camera pouring Drano, her lawyer claims, ‘was for facilitating use in the sink or any other part of the house that was clogged as far as the drainage goes’
Wohl said he did not know how or if Chen consumed Drano.
‘We do know that he was desperate for a divorce filing,’ Wohl said. ‘He was desperate to have reasons to gain custody of the children. We believe that these claims he made are all part and parcel of that effort.’
Previously, Hittelman told DailyMail.com that the first time he spoke with Chen was sometime after July 18 when Chen told him that his wife tried to poison him and handed him video evidence of the act.
After watching the video, Hittelman described Yu as ‘very methodical,’ and said it was ‘just unnerving to actually see it.’
‘It is very intimate to commit murder to know what her husband’s patterns and preferences are and seamlessly introduce poison into his routine,’ he said.
Chen’s lawyers claims he took three videos of Yu pouring Drano into his drinks.
‘Anytime she poured Drano into a cup, it was completely empty,’ Wohl refuted. ‘It was for facilitating use in the sink or any other part of the house that was clogged as far as the drainage goes.’
Yu is also alleged by Chen to be abusive.
Prior to Yu’s arrest, she was served with divorce papers and a domestic violence restraining order.
‘After the children were born I became concerned about Emily’s behavior. Not only was she was very demanding of me that I give her massages, one time when I could not because I was sick she stepped on my head until I did it,’ according to court documents.
The couple’s next court date is set for August 18 to determine whether the restraining order will be held by court for up to five years, Hittelman added.
A copy of the domestic violence restraining order that was issued to Yu on August 5
The Spanish style home Chen shared with his wife and two children in Irvine, California. Yu has a domestic violence restraining order against her and is not permitted near their home Chen, their children, Chen’s place of work, the children’s school, and a second property they own
He said the children learned early on that ‘Emily’s rule is everything.’
‘Emily’s parenting if you could call it that revolves around yelling, insulting, verbally abusing, hitting, pushing, pulling and being emotionally abusive,’ he wrote.
Chen claims that Yu had physically and verbally abused their two children, alleging that she had yelled at the children to ‘go die.’
After posting a $30,000 bail, Yu has since been suspended from work. She has yet to be charged as of August 10.
Public information officer with the Orange County District Attorney’s office Kimberly Edds told DailyMail.com that Yu’s arraignment is November 3.
The court hearing is only based on the suspicion of poisoning and not on domestic violence.
‘We don’t have any charges filed against Ms. Yu,’ Ebbs said, ‘Orange County prosecutors are reviewing the evidence to see if there are sufficient facts to file criminal charges against her. At that point she will plead guilty or not guilty.’