#MeToo leader paid her accuser, report says
WASHINGTON • Asia Argento, the Italian actress who became a leading figure in the #MeToo movement after accusing Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment, secretly settled a claim of sexual misconduct from a man 20 years her junior, according to The New York Times.
Argento was accused of assaulting Jimmy Bennett, who rose to prominence as a child actor, in a California hotel room in 2013, according to legal documents seen by the newspaper.
She was 37 at the time while Bennett was just 17 years and two months old. The age of consent in California is 18. The pair had starred in a film together in 2004, with Bennett playing the role of Argento’s son in The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things.
According to the newspaper, Argento agreed to pay Bennett US$380,000 on the proviso that a photograph showing the pair lying in bed on the day of the alleged incident was not made public.
Argento is yet to comment on the claims.
It has raised serious questions for an actress who has become a champion of the campaign against sexual harassment in Hollywood and across the world.
Argento became one of the first women to publicly accuse Weinstein, the producer, of sexual assault, going on the record last year for an article in The New Yorker magazine.
She accused Weinstein of rape, describing how he forcibly performed oral sex on her in a hotel room. Her account, alongside numerous other women who talked to The New Yorker and The New York Times, kick-started the anti-harassment #MeToo movement. Weinstein is now facing sexual assault charges in New York including firstdegree rape, none of which relate to Argento. He has pleaded not guilty. Weinstein has also more widely denied claims of non-consensual sex.
The New York Times reported on Sunday that it had been sent legal documents anonymously about an allegation of sexual assault made against Argento by Bennett.
The legal documents detail what happened when the two actors met in a California hotel room on May 9, 2013.
Last year Bennett approached Argento and asked for US$3.5 million in damages after she went public over Weinstein, according to The New York Times. The claim reportedly cited emotional distress, lost wages, assault and battery.
Rose McGowan, a fellow actress who also accused Weinstein of rape, responded to the allegations by tweeting: “My heart is broken. I will continue my work on behalf of victims everywhere.”