Pro‑life Influencer Sues Alleged NYC Attacker After Prosecutor Drops Criminal Case

Savannah Craven Antao, a conservative pro‑life influencer and host of the YouTube channel Her Patriot Voice, has filed a civil lawsuit after she says she was struck during a street interview in New York City on April 3. The complaint, filed Nov. 18 in Bronx Supreme Court, alleges Brianna J. Rivers, 30, repeatedly hit Craven Antao while she was conducting man‑on‑the‑street interviews for Live Action.

The filing says Craven Antao required emergency room treatment and stitches and has accumulated more than $3,000 in medical bills. Her attorneys with the Thomas More Society state that Rivers continued to taunt Craven Antao online, mocked her religious beliefs and promoted merchandise referencing the incident—allegedly including a T‑shirt design with the word "BAM!" and an image of a fist striking a face, which the suit says was marketed to raise funds for Rivers' legal defense.

The lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages for assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Craven Antao's lawyers say she has experienced symptoms consistent with post‑traumatic stress disorder and has received numerous threats since the assault.

The criminal case was originally brought as second‑degree assault but was dismissed in July after prosecutors missed a discovery deadline, a procedural error the Manhattan District Attorney's office later acknowledged and apologized for. The civil complaint criticizes the office for downgrading the initial charge before the matter lapsed.

Craven Antao said she filed the lawsuit both to recover her medical expenses and to deter future attacks. "First, I’d really appreciate my over $3,000 in medical bills to be paid off, because I should not be responsible for those," she said. "Second, it’s to send a message—hopefully to show her that she can’t do this again." She added, "Honestly, I hope that she eventually finds God... it's obvious that she's got a lot of deep trauma rooted, and she takes it out on other people."

Thomas More Society attorney Christopher Ferrara argued the civil action was necessary because the criminal case fell through. "Savannah was violently assaulted for peacefully expressing her pro‑life beliefs and then humiliated all over again when the attacker went online to glorify it," he said, adding that the office "had every opportunity to pursue justice" and failed to do so.

Rivers posted an apology on April 5 in which she said she was "sorry" but disputed the way the encounter was portrayed, calling Craven Antao a "professional antagonist, not a 'reporter.'" The Manhattan District Attorney's office and Rivers did not provide comment in response to requests related to the civil filing.

Craven Antao also tied her concerns to broader safety worries for outspoken public figures, noting recent violence against prominent conservative personalities and saying the dismissal of the criminal case left her fearing for her personal safety. The lawsuit asks the court to hold Rivers accountable and to provide both compensation for damages and punitive relief.