In a surprising turn, Asia Argento is now reportedly under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department for an alleged sexual assault.
Argento was an outspoken accuser of Harvey Weinstein at the height of the Me Too movement, taking her crusade further into full-blown activism along with Rose McGowan. After reports of her own misconduct surfaced over the weekend, TMZ reports that Argento herself will now face scrutiny.
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On Sunday, the New York Times reported that Argento had reached a private settlement with a man who accused her of sexually assaulting him when he was 17 years old. The accuser named in the report was Jimmy Bennett. Bennett is now 22 years old, meaning that Argento would have been 37 at the time of the alleged assault.
Bennett reportedly agreed to drop his plans for a lawsuit against Argento in the agreement. The settlement was made in November, but now that it has reached the headlines, the situation seems to have changed. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department initially told TMZ that they would only conduct an investigation if Bennet himself filed a complaint — which he agreed not to do in the settlement.
However, now that the story has skyrocketed in media attention, the police told reporters that they will be investigating Bennett’s claims.
According to the Times report, Argento paid $380,000 to Bennett in exchange for silence. Bennett’s lawyer, Gordon K. Sattro, explained that his client’s “feelings about that day were brought to the forefront recently when Ms. Argento took the spotlight as one of the many victims of Harvey Weinstein.”
Argento’s attorney, Carrie Goldberg, reportedly answered with sympathy to Bennett. She wrote to Argento that the payment was a way of “helping Mr. Bennett,” and sent him a note as well.
“We hope nothing like this ever happens to you again,” it said. “You are a powerful and inspiring creator and it is a miserable condition of life that you live among s—y individuals who’ve preyed on both your strengths and your weaknesses.”
The alleged assault took place when Bennett had just turned 17 — still 10 months away from the legal age of consent of 18. He also claimed that Argento enticed him with alcohol beforehand.
Argento has accused Harvey Weinstein of forcing oral sex on her and intimidating her into a sexual relationship, during which time she feared for her career if she did not comply. She is one of more than 60 accusers.
Argento and her representatives have not responded publicly to the accusations, though others have.
