Trial Delayed For OC Doctor Accused Of Using Drano To Poison Husband

IRVINE, CA — Arraignment was delayed Tuesday for a Mission Viejo dermatologist facing accusations that she poisoned her husband by putting Drano in his tea, court records show.

Yue "Emily" Yu is charged with three counts of poisoning and a count of corporal injury on a spouse, all felonies, court records show. The alleged dates of poisoning were July 11, 20 July 18 and July 25, according to a previous Patch report.

Yu appeared in court Tuesday, but her arraignment was postponed until May 18 at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.

Yu and her estranged husband, physician Dr. Jack Chen, have been locked in a child custody dispute since 2022. She was granted visitation, but recently filed to have Chen pay support to her, claiming she had been unable to work since the poisoning allegations surfaced.

The 53-year-old radiologist filed a restraining order against his 45-year-old wife in August.

Yu was arrested by Irvine police on suspicion of attempting to poison her husband in August, according to a previous Patch report. She was released after posting $30,000 bail that same month.

Chen said Yu called him asking to post bail but he refused, the restraining order said.

Scott Simmons, one of Yue's attorneys, told City News Service that Yu's estranged husband set his wife up.

"Dr. Chen told Dr. Yu to use Drano to kill the ants" in the house, he said. The family had an ant infestation and Chen wanted to use various household products to try to address the problem, Simmons said.

"He told her to put Drano in lemonade or tea with sugar and then he sets up spy cameras," Simmons said. "It's a complete set-up. This is a high- stakes divorce."

Simmons also said that medical tests show that Chen's maladies are "inconsistent with drinking Drano. They're more consistent with GERD, or acid reflux."

In the restraining order applications, Chen said he is "fearful" of living in the same Irvine home with Yu "due to (Yu's) attempts to poison me with Drano."

Chen also alleged that "both children have suffered physical, verbal and emotional abuse by their mother ... and their maternal grandmother."

Chen said that in March and April of last year he "started noticing a chemical taste in my lemonade" and soon after that he "developed symptoms that had me see the doctor, who performed an examination and diagnosed me with two stomach ulcers, gastritis and esophagitis."

That prompted Chen to set up surveillance video in the kitchen, and he attached videos and photos that he alleged show his wife pouring Drano into his drinks.

Chen said the two began dating in 2011 and married July 4, 2012.

Chen detailed multiple instances of alleged abuse inflicted on their children"After the children were born, I became concerned about Emily's behavior," Chen said.

"Not only was she very demanding of me that I give her massages -- one time when I could not because I was sick she stepped on my head until I did -- she also began hiding money from me."
Chen said his wife's "parenting -- if you could call it that -- revolves around yelling, insulting, verbally abusing, hitting, pushing, pulling and being emotionally abusive."

Chen claimed that if the two children said they enjoyed spending time with him, she would "put them in their room and yell at them until they assured her they would not show affection toward me."

Chen also accused her of "sleep deprivation" punishment at times.

Chen turned over samples of the tea, which were tested by the FBI, which confirmed it contained a substance consistent with liquid drain cleaner, according to prosecutors.

City News Service contributed to this report.