Lindsay Lohan has rejected a plea deal in her felony grand theft case.

The ‘Mean Girls' actress must now face trial after turning down the chance to plead guilty or no-contest in exchange for a reduced sentence in the case, which has seen the 24-year-old star charged over the alleged theft of a $2,500 necklace from an upmarket Californian boutique, sources told gossip website TMZ.

Lindsay – who is currently on probation stemming from a 2007 driving under the influence conviction – will next appear in court for a preliminary hearing on April 22, with Judge Stephanie Sautner, who is described as "tough but fair", presiding over proceedings.

Earlier this week, Lindsay's mother Dina Lohan said her daughter – who has always maintained she was loaned the necklace in exchange for publicity – was seriously considering pleading no-contest and accepting the deal as she wanted to "get it over with".

Explaining why the actress was considering pleading no-contest, Dina said: "Obviously she's not pleading guilty.

"My children don't steal things. But the system is so strange out in Los Angeles. We're considering a couple of options and just want to get this over with in the shortest amount of time.

"Lindsay is up for a couple of film roles, and we want this behind us the quickest way possible. We're speaking with the attorneys and we'll make that decision after we talk."