Aurélien Hamelle

>> John Galliano is expected to make an appearance at his day-long trial tomorrow, and today his lawyer, Aurelien Hamelle, shed light on how he plans to argue the case. He attributed the designer's outburst shown in the now-infamous video to Galliano's longstanding drug and alcohol addictions: “Some things may have come out of his mouth that didn’t come from his brain." Hamelle noted that Galliano has nearly suffered from addictions to sleeping pills, Valium, and alcohol for nearly two years, and has since sought two months of treatment The Meadows rehab center in Arizona. [NY Times]

>> John Galliano, who has been in rehab since early March, "is still in rehab," a source close to the designer confirms to Vogue UK. "The treatment will be long and arduous — and ongoing for a long time in the future — but he is humble, apologetic and hopeful that he can recover."

But: Galliano will still appear at his trial on Wednesday, as was expected, his lawyer Aurelien Hamelle confirms. Hamelle also notes that Galliano has "been doing nothing. He's treating his addiction to alcohol and medication. He will think about his professional future" after the trial.

The Wednesday hearing is expected to span four or five hours, with five people set to testify, including two girls who were sitting next to Galliano during the Feb. 24 altercation who did not hear him say anything anti-Semitic, and two friends of the woman who Galliano allegedly insulted last year, who are expected to confirm her version of the events.

As for Galliano himself, Hamelle says he "does not remember because he was in an altered state. ... This video, where he even looks a little strange to himself, gave him a shock." Hamelle added that the alleged insults "do not reflect what [Galliano] thinks. He's not anti-Semitic or racist."

>> Just a week after John Galliano hired a new lawyer, his trial date has been set for June 22, it was determined at a hearing in Paris today. Galliano was not present, and his new lawyer Aurelien Hamelle said that he isn't currently in France, declining to give further details on Galliano's whereabouts or current activities.

Galliano does, however, intend on attending the trial in person, Hamelle said: "As a mark of respect to the court and to the victims, he will definitely be in court in June. He knows what he said was not right. And he regrets the remarks he made. But we should remember he was sick and in a bad place. He was so drunk he cannot really remember what he said. And he is still undergoing treatment now."

The trial, which is expected to last a day, will determine if Galliano is guilty of verbally abusing three plaintiffs — Geraldine Bloch, Philippe Virgitti, and Fathia Oumeddour — on two separate occasions with anti-Semitic and racist slurs. If found guilty, Galliano could face up to six months of prison and a fine of 22,500 euros ($31,271). However, Nathalie Micault, Oumeddour's lawyer, predicted that even if Galliano was convicted, the court would be very unlikely to put the designer in prison.

>> After news broke that John Galliano fired his lawyer Stephane Zerbib, due to finding irregularities in his financial affairs, the designer has hired a new head, Aurélien Hamelle from Metzner Associés, to take over his case. Hamelle, who comes from a background in business and financial criminal law, international criminal law, and business litigation, will make his first appearance at the the pre-trial hearings set to take place next week. [WWD, Metzner Associés]