Charges Dismissed For 'OITNB' Beating Case
Mar. 23 2016, Published 6:51 p.m. ET
Case dismissed!
Orange Is the New Black star Dascha Polanco scored a legal victory today when prosecutors gave her a deal and dropped the charges against her after her arrest for punching a teenager .
Polanco, 33, will have her record expunged if she stays out of trouble for six months.
The Netflix star's alleged victim agreed to the dismissal of the charges. "The Manhattan District Attorney's Office has dismissed the case due the evidence submitted of extortion and assault," Polanco's rep said in a statement to Radar.
"Ms. Cardona's statement of fist beating and injuries were dismissed, and disregarded due to the lack of stating the truth and relevant evidence."
"She suffered only superficial abrasions and bruising," the prosecutor said about Michelle Cardona's injuries.
The OINTB actress's attorney claims that she was a victim of extortion by Cardona, who was 17 at the time of the incident.
"It is clear to us that the so-called victim was motivated by the prospects of a payday," he said. "She devised a plan to have Ms. Polanco pay her to withdraw the charges, which was furthered by a campaign of harassment directed at Ms. Polanco and her family and jeopardized their safety. Fortunately, we had irrefutable evidence of the complainant's misdeeds on tape, including her extortion attempts, which was provided to the District Attorney's Office."