Mischa Barton Denies Driving U-Haul Into Building, Despite Video Evidence

Mischa Barton has filed new documents in the lawsuit over her alleged U-Haul crash last year, claiming that she wasn’t the person driving the truck when it hit the apartment building, despite video of her on the scene.

The moving truck hit the carport on the Park Wellington condo complex in West Hollywood in February of 2017. Videos from the scene show a shaken Barton there, talking to police and wondering what to do, saying “everything I own is in that truck.” The police report also lists Barton as the driver in the accident. However, according to TMZ, the former O.C. Star has claimed that she wasn’t driving the U-Haul that day.

The outlet also notes that this is a common strategy for civil cases. Defendants will often make blanket denials, though it will be hard to defend that position with the video as admissible evidence in court.

The homeowners’ association is suing for $26,991.55 to repair the damage to the plaster-covered building. Barton first tried to get out of the payment by making a claim with her then-boyfriend’s insurance provider, as he was the one who rented the U-Haul truck. The claim was denied, however, and the association has turned to Barton, citing her as the driver on the police report.

The crash also occurred just about a month after Barton was hospitalized for a mental evaluation, following a reported break-down. Neighbors called authorities out of concern for the actress, who was reportedly exhibiting lots of erratic and disturbing behavior. She was seen hanging over the fence in her yard, wearing a dress shirt and tie and shouting at people on the other side.

“Oh my god, it’s over!” Barton reportedly screamed. “I feel it, and it’s angry!” Barton fell backwards over the fence, and could be heard talking to herself about how her “mother is a witch” and “the world is shattering.”

Police and fire fighters escorted Barton willingly from the home.

Back in 2009, Barton was placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold after having gone through “a full-on mental breakdown,” which she talked about to PEOPLE four years later.

“I was under enormous pressure,” she admitted. Later that year, she filed a lawsuit against her mother, calling her a “greedy stage mother” and claimed she posed as her talent manager to “defraud her unsuspecting victim.”