Caitlyn Jenner will not be charged with vehicular manslaughter for a car crash in February that left one woman dead, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office confirmed to BuzzFeed News.
The crash occurred on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu when a Toyota Prius slowed and was rear-ended by a Lexus. Jenner's Cadillac Escalade then hit the back of the Lexus, driven by 69-year-old Kim Howe, pushing it into oncoming traffic. Howe was pronounced dead at the scene.
Following the crash, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that Jenner was likely to be charged with manslaughter due to the dangerous speed at which she was driving. Wednesday afternoon, a spokesperson for the L.A. District Attorney's Office, Jane Robison, told BuzzFeed News that they have declined to prosecute the case.
Jenner, the DA said in in the declination, was not speeding and though she hit the brakes belatedly, her conduct was not "unreasonable" based on the behavior of the other drivers.
"We believed from the start that a thorough and objective investigation would clear Caitlyn of any criminal wrongdoing," Blair Berk, Jenner's lawyer, said in a statement. "We are heartened the District Attorney has agreed that even a misdemeanor charge would be inappropriate. A traffic accident, however devastating and heartbreaking when a life is lost, is not necessarily a criminal matter."
Though criminal charges have been waived, Jenner still faces two civil lawsuits related to the crash. William Howe and Dana Redmond, stepchildren of Kim Howe, filed a wrongful death suit in May. Jessica Steindorff, the driver of the black Prius, filed a personal injury suit shortly after.
Both suits are ongoing. The next court hearing for the wrongful death suit will be in mid-October.
In July, Jenner was given the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYs. She advocated for a greater acceptance of trans people and urged fellow athletes to prioritize transgender issues.
