The misdemeanor charges were dismissed on Tuesday against Amy Cooper, the so-called “Karen of Central Park,” who falsely accused a black bird watcher of “threatening” her.
She had faced up to a year in prison on a single charge of falsely reporting a third-degree incident.
A judge responded to Manhattan prosecutors’ request to drop Cooper’s case after she completed five therapy sessions “designed for introspection and progress,” assistant public prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon said in a brief virtual hearing.
“They sent her to the Critical Therapy Center … which provided psychoeducation and therapy services focused on the ways in which Ms. Cooper could appreciate that racial identities shape our lives, but we cannot use them to harm ourselves or the others, ”Illuzzi-Orbon told Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Anne Swern. “Psychoeducation on racial equality is woven into each therapy session to stimulate understanding and reflection.”
Asked if she wanted to be heard, Cooper, wearing a black turtleneck, said to the judge, “No, Your Honor.” His lawyer also declined to speak, saying he agreed with the prosecutors’ assessment.
Swern then rejected and closed his case.
Cooper was charged in the camera incident in May, which showed her calling 911 at black bird watcher Christian Cooper after he asked her to put a collar on her dog.
In the hysterical call, she falsely claimed to the police that Christian was “threatening my life”.
Illuzzi-Orbon said on Tuesday that the diversion program she completed with Manhattan Justice Opportunities was a “consistent” punishment with other misdemeanor cases.
“In. Cooper’s therapist reported that it was a moving experience and Ms. Cooper learned a lot from her sessions together,” said the prosecutor during the hearing.
Christian Cooper refused to cooperate with the prosecution, saying that “it has already paid a high price” after global outrage over the incident.