Nicole Richie Gets Fraction of Sentence While Her Lawyer Fractures A Sentence

While it appears that celebrity Nicole Richie's reduced jail sentence was in keeping with a federal order to reduce overcrowding in Los Angeles' jails, her lawyer, Shawn Chapman Holley, clearly ignored the necessary use of an adverb and instead used a noun to modify a verb.

Ms. Holley said her client was "treated like any other inmate in her situation would be treated. I was pleased because she is a celebrity. She wasn't treated any different."

How was Richie treated? She was not treated any differently. The verb "treated" needs to be modified. In what manner, to what degree was, or was not, Ms. Richie treated?

Truly, Richie is different from most ordinary citizens, yet there should be no difference between her and any other malefactor in the eyes of the law. Why is it then, that the media and some politicians are making such a big deal out of this case? Perhaps they don't know differently.

difference, n.,--the fact of being different, disagreement; different, adj.--unlike, not the same; differently, adv

Note: The word "like" is in bold in Ms. Holley's sentence above because strictly, she should have used "as" because a clause follows. "Like" is generally a preposition and should not be burdened with connecting clauses but words instead. Whereas, "as" is a conjunction that may connect clauses. In fairness, this usage is controversial. Notables such as Shakespeare and Darwin preferred "like" to "as" in some instances.

You decide, Should Ms. Holley have said "(Richie) was treated as any other inmate in her situation would be treated."?