Last January, in the TAO nightclub in Park City, Utah, during the Sundance Film Festival, Emile Hirsch allegedly assaulted Daniele Bernfeld, an executive for the Paramount Pictures subsidiary Insurge Pictures. After two other appearances in court, and a series of plea bargaining, Emile Hirsch was sentenced today reports The Daily Mail. Hirsch was arrested after the incident, still slurring in his speech and with difficulty to walk. He admitted to having 3 or 4 drinks. He entered a rehab program soon after.
Bernfeld claims she was put on chokehold, dragged and slammed on the floor. She is quoted to have said, 'she thought she was going to die when Hirsch was choking her'.
'Mr. Hirsch did something inexcusable," Summit County Attorney Robert Hilder said. Judge Kara Pettit meted out a 15 day jail time for the actor, who pled guilty to the charges of misdemeanor assault, and apologized to Bernfeld. He has been ordered to pay Bernfeld $ 4,750 plus whatever amount that may be deemed fair by civil courts as to restitution. He is also to perform 50 hours of community service, and participate in an aftercare treatment program. He does all this, the charges will be dismissed. If he fails to do any or all of it, he gets jailed for a year.
Bernfeld did not agree with the justice system, and called the deal the 'bare minimum' and called for a harsher punishment. However, except for a few minor traffic violations, this is Hirsch's first run-in with the law.
The 30year old American actor has appeared in 'Into the Wild', 'Milk', 'Lords of Dogtown', 'The Emperor's Club', 'The Girl Next Door', 'Lone Survivor' and 'Alpha Dog'. More recently, he was at Park City for a different reason - to attend the premier of his drama, 'Ten Thousand Saints'.
