The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has quietly abandoned its case against a woman who assaulted a pro-life activist—prompting a conservative law firm to prepare a civil lawsuit against the attacker.
On Friday, the DA’s office confirmed to The Post that it dismissed the second-degree assault charge against Brianna J. Rivers, age 30, back in July, citing an “unacceptable error” for failing to meet a deadline to provide evidence to the defense.
This mismanaged case is under review by the Chicago-based Thomas More Society, which intends to file a lawsuit against Rivers on behalf of activist Savannah Craven Antao—the individual Rivers brutally struck during a street interview in Harlem last April.
“There needs to be accountability for the wave of violence by left-wing activists who react to opposing opinions with violence rather than dialogue,” Christopher Ferrara, senior counsel with the Thomas More Society, remarked to The Post on Friday.
“This lawsuit aims to show that if you violently assault someone simply because you disagree with them, there will be consequences—whether criminal or civil.”
Ferrara stated that the DA’s office failed to inform Craven Antao of the dismissal and has not responded to calls and emails from the law firm.
Craven Antao expressed her surprise at the case being dismissed, saying she learned about it only when she saw Rivers celebrating the news on Instagram.
“I’m disgusted by what happened due to the careless handling of Alvin Bragg’s DA’s office, which has a notorious reputation for such actions,” said the 23-year-old reporter for the advocacy group Live Action in a phone interview.
A representative from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office stated that they are implementing “immediate internal measures” due to the mishandled case.
“Every victim deserves their chance to seek justice, and we’ve reached out to apologize to Ms. Craven Antao for the unacceptable mistake of missing the discovery deadline,” the spokesperson mentioned in a statement.
The missed discovery deadline reportedly occurred after the case had been reassigned to a different prosecutor, according to sources.
The “unprovoked” attack left Craven Antao with a black eye, required two stitches under her brow, caused considerable pain in her nose, and resulted in lasting emotional distress—totaling over $3,000 in medical expenses.
“I was exercising my First Amendment right to speak on matters I believe in, and I wasn’t expressing anything extreme,” Craven Antao emphasized, noting that Rivers had approached her and agreed to the interview about Planned Parenthood and abortion.
“I want her to realize that this kind of behavior can’t be tolerated when she encounters someone with differing views.”
During the filmed interaction, tensions escalated as Craven Antao questioned Rivers about sensitive topics. The conversation turned contentious, with Craven Antao interrupting Rivers and making provocative statements about abortion.
The situation escalated dramatically when Craven Antao posed a question about the treatment of foster children, to which Rivers provocatively replied, “Why not?”
“Who will care for them? Please tell me the proportion of people who take kids from foster care and abuse them,” Rivers argued.
After exchanging heated words, the video clip cut off just as Craven Antao repeated her earlier question about foster care.
“I’m not the one who stated I would be okay with killing babies in foster care,” Craven Antao said, highlighting Rivers’ earlier comments.
“That’s not the main point. What I’m trying to say is…” Rivers interrupted, leading to a series of punches thrown at Craven Antao’s face before she stormed off, flipping both middle fingers and making derogatory comments to the pro-lifer’s husband.
Rivers, a Bronx resident, later issued a public apology on social media for her violent behavior but insisted that her “antagonistic” victim provoked her response.
Since the case dismissal, Rivers has posted various videos online boasting about the attack and daring critics to contest her actions.
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Ferrara commented that the situation might have ended differently had Rivers issued a genuine apology.
“Things could be different if she had shown some remorse or genuinely apologized,” Ferrara remarked, adding that the lawsuit will commence in the upcoming weeks.
“This exemplifies the mentality of someone who believes she’s justified in her actions in today’s climate, where violence is viewed as acceptable. It illustrates a larger cultural issue we’re grappling with.”
Rivers did not respond immediately to The Post’s request for comment.
