BY KEITH LACEY
After being found guilty of drunk driving earlier this week, Lisa Mitchell has become part of a cause célèbre and has appeared on CTV and CNN.
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Mitchell, 23, was fired from her job as a Labatt Brewery Â?Bud GirlÂ? after being charged with impaired driving.
Mitchell was charged around 2 am on Jan. 27 after working at a huge Super Bowl party.
While Mitchell says she was never forced to drink on the job, it was implied she should promote the beer company and beer was always accessible and free of charge whenever she worked as a Bud Girl.
After the Super Bowl party, she and other Labatt employees went to another bar and at the end of the evening, she asked her boss, a Labatt beer sales representative, for cab fare home, says Mitchell.
Mitchell says she was told cab fare Â?wasnÂ?t in the budget.Â?
On her way home, she crashed her vehicle into a hydro pole.
MitchellÂ?s case has gained national and international notoriety. She appeared on Canada AM Thursday morning and a camera crew from CNN was scheduled to conduct a live interview with Mitchell and her lawyer Robert Brouillette Thursday evening from his Elm Street law office.
Mitchell told Northern Life she Â?loved her jobÂ? as a Bud Girl and worked 15 to 20 times representing LabattÂ?s at numerous Sudbury and area functions.
Â?We are not required to drink by any means, but we are told it does look better if you are having a beer and promoting the product, and beer is always available to us and itÂ?s always free,Â? said the Laurentian University student.
At the bar after the Super Bowl party, she and other Labatt employees partied to till around 1 am, said Mitchell.
All beer consumed there was free of charge and picked up by the beer company, said Mitchell.
This was the first time she had been denied cab fare after working as a Bud Girl,
Â?I fully believe LabattÂ?s policy is to provide cab fare home for Bud Girls and their own employees,Â? she said. Â?I honestly think this one representative made a big mistake this one time and used poor judgment in refusing to pay for my ride home and a number of the other Bud Girls.Â?
Mitchell says she accepts ultimate responsibility for making the decision to drive home that night.
Â?I do take full responsibility for my decision,Â? she said. Â?It was my choice to get behind that wheel.
Â?I do know better and I used very poor judgment and this is something I know I will learn from.Â?
The fact she was fired by LabattÂ?s after she was charged by police is what really upsets her.
Â?I think all the publicity has to do with the fact a world-renowned beer company is involved and are denying they did anything wrong,Â? said Mitchell. Â?I got fired from a job I loved. When I needed their support the most, Labatt turned their back on me.Â?
The financial consequences of this incident are going to be felt for many years to come, said Mitchell.
Mitchell, who wants to attend law school after graduating from Laurentian, paid $1,400 to repair her car and will pay the $600 court fine.
The real financial crunch will come when she tries to renew her car insurance next year.
Â?IÂ?m having a real hard time paying for school as it is,Â? she said. Â?Financially, this whole incident is going to really, really hurtÂ?I donÂ?t know how I will afford it.Â?
Nigel Miller, director of public relations for LabattÂ?s, said the company is conducting Â?a thorough investigationÂ? into what happened.
The companyÂ?s policy has never involved forcing any employee to drink on the job, although promotions employees are free to enjoy consuming alcohol in moderation if they choose, said Miller.
Â?We are extremely stringent about informing employees about their responsibilities,Â? said Miller.
ItÂ?s company policy that any employee who believes they have consumed too much alcohol to...be provided with
a cab and safe transportation home, said Miller.
Mitchell was hired as a Â?casual employeeÂ? and the Super Bowl party she was hired to work at was over. She continued drinking on her own after company business, said Miller.
Â?She was no longer under our company employ.Â?
If Mitchell did ask for cab fare home from her boss, she should have received it, he said.
ThatÂ?s why the company is conducting a thorough investigation to see exactly what happened that night, he said.
Another Labatt employee, who worked at the same Super Bowl party as Mitchell, told Northern Life she was
never forced to consume alcohol during the dozens of functions she worked at.
If she did drink, there was always a cab provided by the company, she said.
Many beer companies hire attractive young women to promote their product, but to suggest they are forced to drink on the job is not accurate or fair, she said.
Â?You are there to promote the company and be part of a social gathering, a party,Â? she said. Â?I worked for LabattÂ?s for a long time and they are a responsible use company in every way.
Â?IÂ?m really shocked and appalled at all the negative attention this company is getting because of this case.
Â?Ultimately, you are responsible for your own actions and she was the one who decided to get drunk and step behind the wheel.Â?
MitchellÂ?s lawyer said he thinks both the young woman and the company share in the blame.
Â?What bothers me is Lisa was fired because of this. She loses her job and now has lost her driverÂ?s license and is paying a serious price, while LabattÂ?s just walks away and doesnÂ?t accept any responsibility.Â?
Another Bud Girl who worked with Mitchell that evening has confirmed Mitchell asked for cab fare home that evening, but was denied, said Brouillette.
