Toronto chair girl Marcella Zoia skips court for modelling gig in Miami

The Toronto woman who launched a thousand hate tweets earlier this year with her (now-viral) balcony chair toss video has once again missed a scheduled court appearance.

Former dental hygiene student Marcella Zoia, who was expelled from school in March after whipping some patio furniture off the balcony of a downtown high-rise over Toronto's fast-moving Gardiner Expressway, is currently facing charges of mischief endangering life, mischief involving damage to property and common nuisance.

The 19-year-old's defence lawyer, Greg Leslie, appeared on her behalf at Old City Hall on Thursday, where he told reporters that Zoia was in Miami.

She is participating in a promotional shoot for a new hotel brand, Leslie said, and it's all thank to her reputation as Chair Girl.

Someone took a video of a chair being thrown off a #Toronto condo building pic.twitter.com/fylo70gLu0

— blogTO (@blogTO) February 11, 2019

"There is a brand new hotel in Miami and she's been asked [to model] because of who she is," said Leslie, according to The Star.

"I think they wanted somebody who has a bit of exposure to social media, so they asked her and they're paying her to be there, so good for her."

Zoia's case has now been put over to August 29, when a judicial pretrial is scheduled to take place in Toronto.

It is not yet known whether Zoia will attend her next court date, as she has sent Leslie in her stead for every scheduled appearance since being arrested and charged in February.

So she’s profiting from her notoriety and the alleged criminal act. I hope that the judge keeps this in mind at sentencing.

— Stu Gatz (@StewartGatz) July 18, 2019

Leslie did tell reporters outside the courthouse during one of her more recent court dates that he is hoping for a conditional discharge on behalf of his client.

Should prosecutors and a judge agree, Zoia would not face jail time, nor would she have a criminal record. This isn't looking likely, though.

Leslie said today that the Crown has a "completely different" idea in mind for the young woman's punishment and that she could still face "significant" jail time, but won't.

Community service would be ideal, said Leslie, reminding press on Thursday that his client contends peer pressure played a major role in what she did.

"I'm not justifying it in any way," he said of the chair toss incident. But, "people react to peer pressure differently. She made a mistake, she's paying for it."