Actor Emile Hirsch does not remember events of the night he is accused of attacking a studio executive because he was drunk, his attorney wrote in a statement.
The actor checked into rehab within days of the incident and remains in treatment, attorney Robert Offer wrote in a statement obtained Friday.
“Regarding the charges that have been brought against Emile Hirsch today, the facts that I can relay are that he consumed an enormous amount of alcohol on the evening in question and he doesn’t have any memory of what happened at the time of the allegations,” Offer wrote. “However, Emile takes these allegations very seriously, and is devastated that any of this has occurred. “
The “Into the Wild” actor was charged in Utah on Thursday with felony aggravated assault over an incident in which a studio executive accused Hirsch of placing her in a headlock and dragging her across a nightclub table in late January.
“A few days after the incident, Emile sought help and checked himself into an alcohol rehabilitation facility, where he remains today, to ensure nothing like this ever happens again,” Offer wrote. “Emile is continuing to cooperate fully with authorities.”
Hirsch is charged with attacking Daniele Bernfeld, an executive at Insurge Pictures, a subsidiary of Paramount Pictures. The incident occurred during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
Court documents say the altercation occurred Jan. 25 at a nightclub, when Hirsch, looking drunk, approached Bernfeld and asked why she looked “so tough.”
He also said she was a “rich kid who should not be at Sundance,” court filings state.
Investigators say Hirsch grabbed Bernfeld and she pushed him away. He left and sat with friends before coming back and grabbing the woman from behind, the documents state.
She was put in a chokehold and pulled across the table before Hirsch landed on top of her on the floor, authorities said.
Bernfeld told authorities she saw things going dark and might have blacked out momentarily.
Hirsch is scheduled to make his first court appearance on March 16. He also faces a misdemeanor count of intoxication.
Offer is Hirsch’s entertainment lawyer. The actor is being represented in the criminal case by Utah attorney Neil Kaplan and Los Angeles attorney Blair Berk.
Associated Press
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
