Winona Ryder Trial Interrupted, Again

By Stephen M. Silverman

08/14/2002 at 10:00 AM EDT

Like most everything else in summer, the Winona Ryder case moves along lethargically. On Tuesday, Beverly Hills Superior Court Judge Elden S. Fox delayed setting a trial date for the "Girl, Interrupted" Oscar nominee who stands accused of shoplifting $6,000 worth of merchandise from Saks Fifth Avenue last December. Reuters reports that, instead, the jurist selected Monday, Aug. 26, as the date to hear pretrial motions on what evidence could be admitted during the eventual trial -- which Fox then promised would take place sometime before Sept. 26. Ryder, 30, did not attend Tuesday's hearing. Her lawyer, Mark Geragos, claims that she is being prosecuted because of her celebrity status, having accused a Saks security guard in an earlier hearing that the high-end department store maintains a policy of discriminating against stars. The guard denied the accusation. Ryder, who is free on $20,000 bail, has pleaded not guilty to four felony charges: grand theft, second-degree burglary, vandalism and possession of the controlled substance Oxycodone.