The actor Emile Hirsch consumed “an enormous amount of alcohol” on the night he is accused of putting a woman in a chokehold at the Sundance Film Festival, and he has checked himself into rehab, his lawyer said on Friday.
Hirsch was charged with felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor intoxication after authorities said he attacked the woman, a Paramount Pictures studio executive, on Jan. 25. The woman, Daniele Bernfeld, and another witness told authorities that Hirsch dragged her across a table and onto the floor, where he landed on top of her, according to prosecutors in Summit County, Utah.
The lawyer, Robert Offer, said in a statement:
Emile consumed an enormous amount of alcohol on the evening in question and he has no memory of what happened.Emile takes these allegations very seriously, and is devastated that any of this has occurred. 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."
Hirsch, who starred in “Into the Wild" and “The Girl Next Door," has a March 16 court date. He faces up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine on the assault charge.