Lindsay Lohan says fingernail expletive not related to court case

Actress Lindsay Lohan wrote that an expletive visible on her fingernail during a court hearing at which she got 90 days in jail was a joke unrelated to the Beverly Hills case.

Lohan wrote on her Twitter account that the vulgarity painted on her middle fingernail “had nothing to do w/court. It’s an airbrush design from a stencil xx.”

As the actress told Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Marsha N. Revel on Tuesday that she was taking the probation violation seriously, the expletive was captured by the courtroom photographer. It raised questions about the message she was sending.

In a series of Twitter messages, Lohan also wrote about “cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,” quoting from the United Nations’ Universal Declaration on Human Rights. She also linked to a Newsweek story about the stoning of an Iranian woman.

The fingernail was visible as Lohan wiped tears from her eyes during a last-ditch attempt to avoid jail after the judge decided the actress had violated her probation by failing to attend weekly alcohol education classes.

Lohan’s probation stems from a conviction for driving under the influence after two DUI incidents in 2007 during which she also tested positive for cocaine.

Lohan was ordered to surrender July 20.

Meanwhile, sources say Lohan’s attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, is leaving the case.

Holley released a statement to the media earlier saying Lohan would serve out her sentence.

“Ms. Lohan and I are extremely disappointed in the sentence handed down.... We believe that the penalty is far harsher than what others would have received under similar circumstances,” the statement read. “The reality is that Ms. Lohan, like most defendants, had to balance work commitments with court requirements. To be punished so severely for doing so, particularly in light of the fact that she substantially complied with each of her probationary conditions, is harsh and unfair.”

richard.winton@latimes.com