Wine about it: Disaster date ends with $1.5 mln in art ruined

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First dates can be awkward, even nerve-wracking.

But the last thing a Texas attorney expected when he went out with a freelance court reporter was that the evening would end with red wine splashed across valuable paintings in his home, including a work by pop artist Andy Warhol.

Anthony Buzbee's date with Lindy Lou Layman was by any measure a disaster. The 29-year-old woman had become "heavily intoxicated" while at Buzbee's home in the city of Houston, according to a prosecutor's account in court.

"(Buzbee) called for an Uber driver," but Layman went back into Buzbee's home and shouted, "I'm not leaving," the prosecutor told a judge over the weekend while Layman, appearing in an orange jail uniform, stood listening.

After walking back into Buzbee's mansion, Layman poured wine on three paintings before tearing them down, and threw two abstract sculptures across the room, shattering them, according to prosecutors.

At least one of the paintings was by Warhol and the total cost of the damage was more than 1.5 million US dollars, Houston TV station KHOU reported.

Layman was arrested a little after midnight on Saturday and charged with a felony count of criminal mischief. The original charging documents stated she was arrested for damaging artworks of 300,000 US dollars in value or greater.

She posted a 30,000 US dollar bail on Christmas Day and was expected back in court Thursday.

Source(s): AFP