Emile Hirsch Pleads Guilty to Choking Film Exec, Sentenced to 15 Days
Emile Hirch has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault for placing Paramount studio executive Daniele Bernfeld in a chokehold on January 25. The actor was sentenced to 15 days in jail, plus a $4,750 fine and 50 hours of community service.
TMZ reports that, according to police, Hirsch attacked Bernfield after drunkenly confronting her at a Sundance party and asking “why she looked ‘so tough’” He also reportedly told her “she was a ‘rich kid’ who should not be at Sundance.” From TMZ:
Bernfeld told police ... she moved away from Hirsch to go sit with a friend at a table — and moments later, Hirsch came up from behind her and “put her in a chokehold.”
Then, Bernfeld claims Hirsch “pulled her across the table and onto the floor” and landed on top of her.
While on top, he allegedly wrapped his hands around her neck and began to choke her. She said she felt as though “the front and back of her throat were touching and she remembers things going dark.”
A statement from Bernfield asking for a stricter punishment was read today in court. She’s previously said the attack was “insanely painful and absolutely terrifying,” and that she feared she might die during it.
Hirsch, who faced a maximum sentence of five years, initially claimed he had no memory of the attack and checked himself into rehab two weeks after his arrest. He apologized during today’s sentencing, saying his behavior that night was “wrong” and “reckless.”
