‘Metoo’ activist denies relationship with teenage boy
ASIA ARGENTO, the actress and leading “Metoo” activist, has denied having a relationship with a teenage boy who accused her of sexual misconduct.
Argento, 42, was accused of sexual assault by Jimmy Bennett, an actor, who said he was 17 when the incident took place in a California hotel room in 2013. The age of consent in the state is 18.
She paid Bennett, now 22, hundreds of thousands of dollars after he made accusations against her. The Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Department has said it is looking into the allegations. In a statement issued yesterday the Italian actress admitted money had been paid to Mr Bennett but denied sleeping with him, and claimed she was the victim of a “long-standing persecution”. She said the original New York Times article making the allegations had left her “deeply shocked and hurt by having read news that is absolutely false”.
Argento said: “I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett. I was linked to him by friendship only.” She claimed Mr Bennett had been experiencing “severe economic problems”.
The actress said that the chef Anthony Bourdain, her late boyfriend, decided to “deal compassionately with Bennett’s demand for help and give it to him”. According to The New York Times the actress settled a legal notice of intent to sue, filed by Bennett, for $380,000 (£294,000). That was shortly after Argento said, last October, that Harvey Weinstein raped her.
In her statement Argento said: “Anthony was afraid of the possible negative publicity that such a person, whom he considered dangerous, could have brought upon us. Anthony insisted the matter be handled privately and this was also what Bennett wanted.” She added: “Anthony personally undertook to help Bennett economically, upon the condition that we would no longer suffer any further intrusions in our life.”