BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - The judge who sent Lindsay Lohan to jail has removed herself from the case after a prosecutor complained she improperly contacted a rehab centre about the court-ordered treatment of the actress.

District attorney spokeswoman Jane Robison said Wednesday that Judge Marsha Revel recused herself Friday.

Robison says the contact with the rehab centre was among several instances when Revel improperly communicated with participants and experts without the prosecutor present.

Superior Court Judge Elden Fox is now handling the Lohan case.

The actress was released Aug. 2 from the women's jail in Lynwood, where she served 14 days of a 90-day sentence for violating her probation in a 2007 drug case.

TMZ.com first reported the recusal Wednesday.