DOWNEY ATTORNEYS, DA REACH TENTATIVE DEAL

Attorneys for Robert Downey Jr. have reached a tentative deal with
prosecutors that would keep the award-winning actor out of jail.

Under the deal, Downey would plead no contest to one felony count of
possessing cocaine and one misdemeanor count of being under the influence
of a controlled substance and serve up to a year in a live-in
rehabilitation center, said attorney James Epstein. A misdemeanor count of
possessing Valium would be dropped, he said.

Downey, 36, was arrested at Merv Griffin's Resort Hotel and Givenchy Spa in
Palm Springs during last year's Thanksgiving weekend. Authorities allegedly
found the drugs in his hotel room after receiving an anonymous call.

The deal is expected to be approved July 16.