State v. Z.S.
Mar 30, 2026OUTCOME: Not guilty of vehicular homicide
Montgomery County, Tennessee. Client charged with DUI, vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, and reckless endangerment. The defense strategy was to demonstrate to the jury that the client had no consc ... ious awareness of the events leading to the crash due to an adverse reaction to Ambien, which was prescribed only a week earlier. The strategy involved the expert testimony of a neuropharmacologist specializing in Ambien/zolpidem. It also involved examining over a decade of medical records highlighting key points for the jury. After nine hours of deliberation, the jury found the client not guilty on all charges except for DUI, which is a strict liability offense. Client's exposure was reduced from over 20 years on multiple felony offenses to less than one year on a misdemeanor offense.
