Lindsay Lohan Named a Suspect in Criminal Battery Case

Sept. 24: Lindsay Lohan arrives at a court hearing in Los Angeles after failing a court-mandated drug test. She will now appear in a biopic about John Gotti.

Lindsay Lohan is a suspect in a criminal battery investigation and the alleged victim -- a staff member at Betty Ford --  wants Lindsay prosecuted, this according to law enforcement sources.

The Palm Desert Police Department is now investigating an altercation that occurred after Lindsay and her roommates reportedly went to a bar and came back home.  Upon arriving at the house, the incident with a female staffer from Betty Ford allegedly went down.

But Lohan claims she did NOT strike first in a physical altercation with a female staff member at the Betty Ford Clinic, but she did push back , this according to sources close to the actress.

Lindsay is telling people close to her that the drama unfolded when she arrived to the BFC on December 12 roughly ten minutes after her curfew.

Lindsay claims when she walked into the BFC, a female staff member was "unfairly" scolding her about the situation  and demanded the actress take a drug/alcohol test. We're told it was during the heated exchange that the woman "put her hands on Lindsay."

Lindsay claims she told the woman, "Take your hands off of me" and then "pushed back."

As we previously reported, local police received a call at 1:03 AM for "hand-to-hand battery" -- and Lohan was named as a suspect. The staffer wants Lohan prosecuted for criminal battery.

The actress could spend up to six months in jail if convicted, TMZ has learned.

One of the terms of the probation is "obey all laws" -- and if Judge Elden Fox decides LiLo committed a battery at the BFC, he could send her back to the slammer for 180 days.

We're told Lindsay feels the staffer has had it out for her for a while, and with Lohan reaching the end of her stay at the clinic, the actress believes the staffer was looking for a final confrontation.

We're told when the police finish the investigation, the case will be forwarded to prosecutors for review.

Click here to read more from TMZ.com.