Ousted Arrowverse producer arrested and charged with forcible touching

Andrew Kreisberg, the former Arrow and Supergirl producer who faced accusations of inappropriate behavior towards female employees, was arrested in March and charged with forcible touching after an alleged incident at a bar mitzvah in Westchester County, New York, per Vanity Fair. Kreisberg has denied previous allegations against him and continues to deny any inappropriate conduct regarding this latest accusation.

In court documents obtained by Vanity Fair, the woman who accused Kreisberg was said to be an “emotional wreck” in the aftermath of the incident by another bar mitzvah attendee. A friend of Kreisberg’s wife, she reportedly came forward because Kreisberg “needs to have someone stand up for themselves against him.” (Trigger warning for sexual assault for the following description.)

In her statement to law enforcement, she said, “Andrew Kreisberg… approached me at the table. While we are standing at the table, Andrew gets behind me and starts putting his hands all over my arms and back. He then slid his hands around my waist, grabbed my waist firmly, and thrust his fully erect penis into my buttocks twice. It all happened so fast that I wasn’t sure what exactly was going on until I felt Andrew shove his fully erect penis into my buttocks. When I realized what was going on, I screamed, ‘What the fuck are you doing? Get the fuck away from me.’ Then I went to the bathroom.”

Kreisberg was charged with misdemeanor forcible touching. According to Vanity Fair, unless any complications arise, the charge will be dismissed in February 2024, provided he continues to comply with conditions set by the court.

One of those conditions is attending therapy, which his lawyer claims Kreisberg is already doing; in fact, in a statement, she blamed journalist Maureen Ryan for giving Kreisberg PTSD in the wake of the 2017 exposé about his behavior behind the scenes of Supergirl. In a lengthy statement to Vanity Fair, Kreisberg’s lawyer maintained his innocence and downplayed the incident as an “alleged instance of dancing at a bar mitzvah” that “was not deemed to be criminal.”

“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,” the statement read in part. (Note: being neurodivergent is not an excuse for sexual assault.) “Mr. Kreisberg remains a very talented creative person. He is misunderstood for being a neurodivergent individual who is socially awkward. Your article will be another event of the ableist bullying of people who are neurodivergent as they are misperceived. Mr. Kreisberg is devoted to his family, who are in turn supportive of him.”

If you or someone you know is suffering from sexual abuse, contact the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.