Earlier this year at Sundance, Emile Hirsch made headlines by violently assaulting a female film executive. He got super drunk and angry at the Tao nightclub and started “aggressively picking on” Dani Bernfeld, a Paramount VP. For no reason at all (and there is none), he started yelling at Dani for being a “rich kid” and “so tough.” He placed her in a headlock until she passed out. Then he body slammed her to the ground.
Thankfully, Dani recovered from her physical wounds. Emile was charged with felony assault, and immediately checked into alcohol rehab, which was his excuse for violently throttling a woman and “having no memory of it.” Bernfeld’s memory is loud and clear in the court documents:
“Shortly thereafter Hirsch came up from behind Bernfeld and wrapped his arm around her to put her in a chokehold,” the allegations continue, per the court documents. “Hirsch pulled Bernfeld across the table and onto the floor, where he landed on top of her. While Hirsch was on top of Bernfeld he wrapped his hands around her neck. Bernfeld said she felt as though the front and back of her throat were touching and she remembers things going dark. Bernfeld reported that she may have momentarily blacked out.”
[From Page Six]
Yesterday in court, all was seemingly forgiven by the judge, who granted Emile a very generous plea deal:
The actor was sentenced to 15 days in jail, starting immediately, and will be required to pay $4,750 and do 50 hours of community service. But Bernfeld told the court that his punishment doesn’t go far enough.
Issuing a statement detailing her ordeal at Hirsch’s hands, which was read in the court before the Into The Wild star was sentenced, Bernfeld said, “This act of violence has greater implications than the physical injuries I sustained. The long-lasting effects of this assault will remain with me. Mr. Hirsch’s plea, however, provides that in 90 days his case will be dismissed without record. There is no assurance that he will serve any of the 15 days of jail time associated with his plea.
“Quite simply, this punishment does not fit the crime. While the Park City Police Department treated me with courtesy and respect, this plea deal meets the bare minimum required to placate the regulations of our legal system. If a violent attack in front of a roomful of witnesses can be labeled a misdemeanor and dismissed, what of women who are assaulted while alone in hallways or bathrooms, or behind the closed doors of their own homes.
“While I appreciate that the court is trying to send a message to Mr. Hirsch, the message to him and those who may follow needs to be louder and stronger.”
[From Page Six]
This is a fantastic statement from Bernfeld, and I hope the court recognizes as much, although Emile’s plea deal was pretty much set in stone already. To recap, Hirsch placed Bernfeld in a chokehold and slammed her body against the ground. Under this plea deal, he will avoid what could have been a 5-year jail sentence. So he basically gets a slap on the wrist. After yesterday’s court session, Deadline reports that Emile’s attorney’s admitted his actions were “inexcusable.” Well, that’s one word for what he did.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN
Shameful. Seems like he’s getting a pass with this plea deal.
This is disgusting on so many levels. He committed a violent, unprovoked attack on a woman, and gets off scot-free. I may lose my breakfast.
Disgusting is right. This is so, so awful.
As if I needed anymore reason to dislike the guy. Now, he is on my permanent “Never Going To Watch Anything He Is In” list.
Yes. This actually surprised me with how angry it made me. I have daughters, and picturing this done to them- rage. If I saw that’s the only punishment he got, I’d be waiting for his release to do the identical act to him, and argue that it’s tit-for-tat and I’d better get the same non-punishment too. I could do 15 days in jail to serve back to him what he did to a woman I love, no problem.
Same here! This news is absolutely disgusting and I’m so angry. He viciously assaulted a woman in front of all those witnesses and he gets this lame fine and 15 days in jail???
Since obviously the legal system has failed Dani Bernfeld, I sincerely hope that this POS, Hirsch never finds work again.
agree. I hope that VP is powerful enough in the industry that this guys falls straight to Z-list and has to do community theater for the rest of his life.
My first thought too. Blackball that angry, drunken dwarf.
This is horrible! Seriously! He choked her and slammed her to the ground in front of witnesses and everyone is just shrugging it off? Ugh.
Yeah, it’s not like the facts of the assault are in question. There was a room full of people who witnessed him choking her and throwing her around, and this is all the punishment that could be mustered? Ugh.
I agree. I love that part of her statement. If this is what she can expect, what about cases where it’s one version vs the other with no other corroboration. And I have panic attacks and her description of her throat sounds so frightening.
I’m wondering if those who do the hiring for movies and t.v. agree that this was a light sentence and that this is a violent, unpredictable creep who got off way too easy. I really hope nobody will hire him for anything again. That’s the only way there might be at least some justice for this poor woman. If they do hire him, they are basically saying that it’s okay to brutalize a woman and get a slap on the wrist for it.
Well I won’t be paying my money to see his films.
Disgusting and so wrong
I hope she sues his pug face ass in a civil lawsuit.
Sorry to offend pugs.
LMAO!!!!!
This is disgraceful. I have no words. What was the judge thinking? ‘He got a little drunk – that’s all’?
Probably thinking she was asking for it. You know, by walking around with a neck.
Horrifying.
I’ll bet her neck wasn’t covered up. Out there, flaunting her neck flesh, tempting men to squeeze it and choke the life out of it. If she had been more careful and aware of the things bare neck flesh can do to a man, this would never have happened.
Even worse – flaunting her rich kid, entitled neck flesh! Maybe even wearing a necklace to further enrage the bull, I mean, Emile. This sentence is a joke. Let’s hope he’s finished and has lots of time to think about that night.
Actors get drunk and violent all the time, but usually they don’t try to murder people. He should be blacklisted forever. Oh, I forgot – rehab will make it all go away.
This is such a horrible outcome, that judge should be ashamed.
And people wonder why victims of assault don’t press charges.
Her statement is fantastic, very well put. It’s ridiculous that he could do something so violent and so publicly and barely get a slap on the wrist.
I agree. Her statement was so well written. It really says something about our society and how we view certain crimes.
We have so little value in our society when it comes right down to it. He could have killed her, and probably would have if the room hadn’t been full of people. He will do it again. 15 days in jail and no record. That’s what they think of this. It makes me feel sad and defeated.
yes. still second class citizens in so many ways 🙁
Me too, GNAT.
Hugs.
We are worth more than this.
“If a violent attack in front of a roomful of witnesses can be labeled a misdemeanor and dismissed, what of women who are assaulted while alone in hallways or bathrooms, or behind the closed doors of their own homes.”
So much THIS!!!
🙁
Yes!!! This story is my WTF today. Can’t believe this ruling.
Mysoginistic, disgusting bullshit. That must have been aboslutely terrifying… and like someone above me said – what if no one else had been in the room? She probably would be dead.
he could then write off the 15 days in jail as “method act training” for some prison film.
yuck. it’s not even a slap on the wrist. it’s basically sending him off to “a spa retreat”.
Sigh. Welcome to the US justice system. That sentence is pretty normal for the offense, as outrageous as it seems.
Ugh no kidding. It’s just disgusting. In the meantime, we have nonviolent offenders who are serving ludicrously long sentences under mandatory sentencing guidelines thanks to the war on drugs. It is so, so messed up.
Yep. No prior offenses, a rehab trip….these are all taken into consideration and this is unfortunately a common sentencing.
Yes, judges like to give second chances to first-time offenders. That’s why Chris Brown wasn’t put directly into jail, even though he came close to killing Rihanna. But judges usually get tougher for repeats. So just hope he doesn’t kill the next one.
Shame that there is no justice left in the world.
Misogyny in the Western countries that so many men dismiss and so many women play down.
yeah, that’s what I will never understand – how women can play this down. 🙁
Her statement is excellent, and his sentence was way too light.
I can’t remember, but did they know each other before this happened?
I don’t think they did know each other…
Wtf? The guy nearly kills the woman and that’s all he gets? I hope, at least, that his career’s over.
Also, strangling a woman in a bar while you’re attractive and white = metaphorical ruler-tap on back of hand.
Where is the recompense for Dani Bernfeld? That $4750 sounds like court costs and fees for the police investigation. She gets nothing!
Please, please, please let Bernfeld tear Hirsch a new one in civil court.
that would be pretty good if she sues him for PTSD or something. and it wouldn’t be BS, either. I can’t imagine how scary that must have been for her.
Disgusting. And he is about to start a new movie with JK Simmons. Yeah that says it all about the value this world places on women.
This is so horrifically infuriating. This man obviously doesn’t think there was anything wrong with what he did, he’s not remorseful, he is full of excuses. How many other women has he gotten away with attacking because it wasn’t in a room full of witnesses? This ‘punishment’ is an insult, there is no deterrent for him not to repeat this behaviour. He will do this again and he will probably get away with it until he kills somebody.
That type of violent rage against a strange woman is extremely dangerous. He will repeat. With devastating consequences for his future victims.
Ridiculous sentence. This story is just a world of “WTF”?
While I am not one to promote violence, I cannot help but wonder…if Ronda Rousey was in the room and he tried that with her…he would have hit the ground so fast he wouldn’t have recovered.
That would be cool, honestly.
Thank you for agreeing with me.
Yet imagine the disparate judicial response toward her were she the assaulter. :-[
This is disgraceful. I’m glad the Bernfeld spoke out about how offensive this sentence is. It would be great if he was blackballed but he is a white male so that is unlikely. It looks like he is still getting roles according to IMDb.
Wow, you would think somebody would have pulled him off of her before she blacked out. Wouldnt it take some timefor her to black out? How scary that would be.
@snowflake-exactly!! WTF??! A roomful of people watched this go down and no one grabbed this turd who was choking a woman?? I don’t understand. If I was there, I would have busted a bottle right over his head.
I’m thinking the same! I would have been angered to no end. I’m apalled that all these people did was watch. Wrong. So freaking wrong.
Sleeper holds ( carotid &jugular compression) induce temporary unconsciousness in but a few seconds- two to nine, according to various sources. And shame on the crowd for not stepping in immediately.
Wow what a pos. Both the judge and this dbag. Hope he at the very least never has a career again. But given holly woods record I’m doubtful. I hope this exec ruins him.
Wow, Dani kicks so much ass. The part in her statement about those who are assaulted alone in their homes really resonates with me and I think it is wonderful she cares about how this decision effects others.
Drugs.
End of.
This is only from my Canadian perspective but it’s all too clear that the same stipulations which apply to John Q Public do not apply to celebrities. I’m no longer puzzled about why it took so long for the public to find out about Bill Cosby. To show my utter and complete disdain for this “man”, I will never watch another movie in which he stars or even co-stars. He’s dead to me. Although, to be honest, I don’t know this “man” from Adam and haven’t seen a movie with him in it (thankfully). He’s swarmy as f*&k, and as my mother says: “a leopard never changes its spots”.
Hirsch was never going to serve any real time. He’s rich ,famous and this is his first offense. I’m surprised he was given any jail time.
‘… famous, AND WHITE, and this is his first offense’
I read another report which stated he only had 3-4 drinks but had mixed them with medication, although it doesn’t specify the medication. It could explain why he doesn’t remember.
Her account is terrifying and her statement is spot on. He shouldn’t have received such a light sentence.
As for people wondering why no one helped, we don’t know if they did or not. He sounds utterly deranged is the description of the attack and it may have taken several tries or several people to get him off of her.
Hi everyone! Longtime no see. I want to thank @izzy for bringing this to my attention as it resonates with me deeply as a domestic abuse survivor. I’ll be going to court on the 1st to see if my ex will be convicted of assaulting me. This doesn’t give me much hope as far as punishment goes (even though there are photos and a letter he wrote admitting to the assault). At the very least, this woman did a wonderful thing by speaking out about the injustice of the sentence.
Hugs mort! Glad to see you back and I hope your disgusting POS ex gets the book thrown at him.
I salute your courage for standing up to a POS and hope you get the justice you deserve.
I sincerely hope you get justice. My father was horrifically abusive, and the courts did nothing to protect my mother, brother or myself (mind you, this was in the mid-80’s and Canadian police refused to believe that my charismatic father could be so evil… he fooled many people). The physical scars healed to a certain extent, however, the emotional scars we still carry with us to this day.
To MDIB – I hope it goes well for you in court – and hope you have protections in place to keep your ex from being able to find/access you easily. And Solsolito, so sorry for all you and your family went through. Abusers can be very crafty at presenting themselves to outsiders as lovely, upstanding people while treating the victims they choose in a completely different manner. We are complex creatures, we humans, and not always in good ways.
Thank you for your kind words. Your support does help others to speak out against abusers and support those are abused. Victims tend not to speak of abuse because of a lack of sympathy from others. We’re judged for not having left sooner, or not calling the police to intervene. It’s very easy for others to judge victims from the outside. However, if one has never been in a position where the only reality they know is abuse, one might never know that there is a better way. I was abused from the day I was born until I was nine. I told teachers, friends’ parents, etc., but it was usually brushed off as my imagination or I was described as histrionic.
My father, in a way, did get away with it. To this day, he still doesn’t admit that he was a b@stard and really screwed up my family and my half-siblings. I haven’t seen him since 1986 and am better for it. However, as I said, far too many of us are silenced victims, desperately trying to navigate a tumultuous sea with no hint that the shore is just within sight. We flounder, sometimes we drown. But I can say that with brave people like Morticiansdoitdeader, more victims will take their abusers to task and come out the victor. My thoughts are with you and yours during this time. It will be difficult and you may feel abandoned sometimes; just know that you aren’t alone and others, like myself and others on this blog, will always support your quest for peace and safety.
This boy has just earned my everlasting ban on all his endeavors!
Me too. If the industry won’t boycott him, let we the public boycott him.
One sad thing is that this will probably hurt the victim’s career more than the criminal’s. I work in Hollywood, and it’s incredibly disheartening to have the courts vindicate and encourage the sexism and misogyny that is already so pervasive, and crippling to most women in the industry.
Judges don’t “grant” plea deals. They are agreements made between the defendant and the prosecutor. The Judge only has final approval. Get angry at the prosecutor. They could have chosen to take it to trial.
This should have been an attempted murder charge.
Yes!
he should’ve been charged with assault and thrown in jail for longer than 15 days. doubt he’ll really change. Shame on the plea deal for not pressing for more time. Don’t take pity on violent people…
Apparently, not too many people here are familiar with the justice system in America. This is standard sentencing for a first time offender. He didn’t get special treatment and I do believe that everyone makes mistakes and should be given the chance to redeem themselves. Get off the high horse already.
Given that my family contains two felony level convicts, I am intimately familiar with how the justice system works. It’s the same system that gives Emile Hirsch a plea bargain for violently assaulting a woman while giving my 20-year-old brother a federal record because he and his friend accidentally picked up scrap metal that wasn’t actually scrap. But please, continue condescending to the rest of us about how we just need to be more understanding.
Lol. Yeah, right.