A woman has accused of Black-ish star Anthony Anderson of assaulting her in 2017.
The Blast reports that an unnamed woman filed a police report about the alleged assault earlier this year, and the Los Angeles Police Department is currently investigating the claim.
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Police have not released specific details of the assault, but The Blast’s sources say the alleged incident occurred at a business meeting more than one year ago.
The woman says she met him at an event he had held, and they then planned to meet again to discuss a business venture. They then met up not long after, where she then alleges the actor assaulted her at that meeting.
The source also claimed that the woman only felt comfortable enough filing a report now after becoming emboldened by the #MeToo movement.
Los Angeles police have confirmed that the case is currently open, and they are investigating the claims.
“We have a crime report listing him as a suspect in a crime,” the department said. “It is an open investigation.”
Anderson has strongly denied the accusation in a statement released to media via his representative. They also claimed Anderson had not been made aware of the investigation until the news broke.
“It’s unfortunate that anyone can file a police report whether it is true or false,” the rep said. “The authorities have not contacted Anthony or any of his representatives about this matter. Anthony unequivocally disputes the claim.”
This is the third major assault accusation Anderson has dealt with in his career.
In 2004, Anderson was accused of sexual assaulting a woman in a trailer during the production of Hustle & Flow in Memphis, Tennessee. She alleged that Anderson and the film’s assistant director, Wayne Witherspoon, forced her to have sex with them several times before reporting an incident to police.
However, Anderson, who denied the claim, was cleared of those charges after the judge found the claims to be “the most suspicious case” he had ever heard.
Also in 2004, the actor was sued for sexual assault by another unnamed woman. The woman said Anderson sexually assaulted her, grabbed her genital region, and made suggestive comments in a dressing room for his sitcom All About the Andersons. It is unclear how the lawsuit was resolved, but Anderson denied the allegation.
ABC has not stated whether or not the allegation will affect production of Black-ish‘s upcoming season, which is slated to premiere in the fall.
Photo Credit: CBS / Sonja Flemming
