Embattled“ Supergirl” producer arrested and charged with forcible touching at bar mitzvah
Embattled producer Andrew Kreisberg was arrested and charged with forcible touching following an alleged incident at a bar mitzvah in Westchester County, N.Y. in March.
According to court documents obtained by Vanity Fair, the incident occurred in Pleasantville, N.Y. in May 2022. A woman made a statement to police claiming that Kreisberg, whom she knew as a friend of his wife, approached her while she was eating and enjoying the party and slid his arms around her waist, grabbed it firmly, and "thrust his fully erect penis into my buttocks twice." When she "realized what was going on," she said, "I screamed, 'What the f--- are you doing? Get the f--- away from me,'" and went to the bathroom.
Another individual at the party said in a supporting statement the woman told her about the incident and that she was "crying" and an "emotional wreck."
Kreisberg reportedly surrendered to the police on March 23. He posted bond and was arraigned before being released. Kreisberg later appeared before a judge in Pleasantville Village Court on Aug. 8, where he was granted an Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal (ACD), which is an agreement to have the case rescheduled for a period of time with the intention of dismissing the charges so long as Kreisberg complies with conditions imposed by the court, including psychiatric therapy.
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images Andrew Kreisberg
A spokesperson for the Westchester County District Attorney's Office confirmed to EW that the case remains open, clarifying that an ACD is not deemed a conviction or an admission of guilt. "The ACD carries conditions the defendant is required to comply to for six months, and after that period, the case will be dismissed and sealed," the spokesperson said. Should Kreisberg not comply, the case will be re-evaluated. Kreisberg is set to appear in Pleasantville Village Court again in February 2024.
Kreisberg's attorney Stacey Richman maintained his innocence to Vanity Fair, stating that her client is "misunderstood" as a "neurodivergent individual who is socially awkward." Richman said, "Please note this was not some random citizen but one of a set of women who had grown up with Mrs. Kreisberg and were disparaging of her husband because they did not understand his neurodivergency. This is classic ableist bullying, sadly by adults."
Richman didn't immediately respond to EW's request for further comment Tuesday.
In 2017, 19 of Kreisberg's colleagues accused him of sexual harassment and misconduct. All the women and men, who remained anonymous due to fear of retaliation, recounted the same incidents of alleged inappropriate touching and endemic sexual harassment that fostered a toxic work environment. Warner Bros. TV ultimately fired Kreisberg, an executive producer on CW shows Arrow, Supergirl, The Flash, and DC's Legends of Tomorrow, following an investigation.
Kreisberg denied all of the allegations against him. "Like many people, I have given someone a non-sexual hug or kiss on the cheek," he told Variety. "I have proudly mentored both male and female colleagues for many years. But never in what I believe to be an unwanted way and certainly never in a sexual way."
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