DA Drops Ball on Assault Case Against Pro-Life Activist’s Attacker — Now a Lawsuit Is Incoming
Welp, true New York fashion, a street-side scuffle turned legal drama is now heating up in civil court after the Manhattan District Attorney’s office quietly let a second-degree assault charge vanish into thin air. The alleged attacker? Brianna J. Rivers, 30, who was caught on camera throwing haymakers at a pro-life activist Savannah Craven Antao during a heated Harlem interview.
Now, with the criminal case mysteriously iced over due to what officials called an “unacceptable error,” a conservative legal squad from Chicago is suiting up for a courtroom comeback. The DA’s office admitted to The Post that back in July, it dropped the assault charge against Rivers after prosecutors missed a key deadline to hand over evidence to the defense. Yes, you read that right…the case fell apart not in court, but on a technicality.
For anyone who missed it, Brianna J. Rivers was caught on camera sucker-punching Antao during a street interview that spiraled out of control. What started as a tense debate over abortion ended with River’s fists connecting to Antao’s face. Now, the activist wasn’t just seeking justice for the public humiliation…she wanted Rivers to answer for the physical injuries she left behind. And it’s clear she’s not backing down.
Now, Thomas More Society, a legal pit bull of the pro-life world, is preparing to sue Rivers on behalf of Antao, 23.
The attack left Craven Antao with a black eye, two stitches under her brow, a busted nose, and over $3,000 in medical bills.
“This lawsuit is about telling people that there is accountability if you viciously assault somebody because you don’t like what she says,” said Christopher Ferrara, senior counsel for the firm to The Post. “You’re going to suffer the consequences, if not criminally, then civilly.”
He also blasted the DA’s office for ghosting his firm, no callback, no email, no heads-up when the case was dropped. Craven Antao, he says, found out from none other than her attacker, who posted about it on Instagram.
“I’m feeling disgusted because this is just the careless actions of Alvin Bragg’s DA’s office that’s infamous for this sort of behavior,” Craven Antao told outlet.
The Manhattan DA’s office did eventually acknowledge the fumble, with a spokesperson saying, “Every victim deserves their day in court, and our office has reached out to apologize to Ms. Craven Antao for the unacceptable error of missing the discovery deadline.” Internal changes, they say, are now in motion.
But for Craven Antao, the damage is already done — physically, emotionally, and financially. She says she was exercising her First Amendment rights when Rivers agreed to be interviewed about abortion and Planned Parenthood. Things went sideways fast.
“I wasn’t even saying anything that was egregious,” Craven Antao insisted. “I want her to understand that this is not something that she can continue to do the next time she runs into somebody she disagrees with.”
Exactly What Happened
The footage tells a messy story. During the back-and-forth, Craven Antao pressed Rivers on abortion, interrupted her, and accused women who terminate pregnancies of “killing babies.” At one point, she asked whether foster kids should be killed because “they’re not wanted.” Rivers replied, “Why not?”
“Who’s going to take care of them?” Rivers challenged. “I need to know the percentage of people who take children from foster care and abuse them and molest them, who make them personal slaves. I need specifics before you come to talk to me about pro-life.”
The tone kept escalating. After Craven Antao repeated the controversial La m foster care question, things boiled over. “I’m not the one who admitted they would be OK with killing babies in foster care and killing children that have been abused,” she said.
“That’s not the point. What I’m saying is …” Rivers began — before abruptly launching a flurry of punches to Craven Antao’s face. The video ends with Rivers storming off, flipping double birds, and shouting “S–k my d–k” at Craven Antao’s husband.
We know how to ended but it looks like they’re just getting started.
