Domestic Violence Allegations Against Michael Fassbender Resurface After Netflix Drops 'The Killer' Trailer

Fassbender's ex-girlfriend filed a restraining order against him in March 2010.

By Ashley Turner

The first trailer for Michael Fassbender's latest movie, the David Fincher-helmed The Killer, was released Tuesday. The Killer is an adaptation of Alexis Nolent's French graphic novel series, and Michael plays an unnamed murderer whose life starts to unravel after a near miss. Following a short theatrical run in October, the movie will be available on Netflix in November after its Venice Film Festival premiere next month. As a professional race car driver for the past couple of years, it will be Fassbender's first film since the disappointing Dark Phoenix. On social media, Fassbender's comeback has been met with mixed reactions, with many revisiting the harrowing abuse allegations he faced in 2010. This week, a user pointed out Andrews' claims on a popular Reddit forum. Redditors responded by sharing their shock at hearing about the allegations for the first time. There was also a similar post on Twitter about the actor placed alongside a trailer for The Killer. Since then, it has been retweeted thousands of times and has had over 9 million views.

In March 2010, a restraining order was filed against the actor by his ex-girlfriend, Sunawin "Leasi" Andrews, prohibiting him from going within 100 yards of her and her two children. Andrews claimed that Fassbender had physically abused her numerous times and requested $24,000 to cover medical costs. During the time of the allegations, the actor made no comment on them, and he remained silent eight years after his allegations were brought back to light by the Daily Beast, which obtained the full petition that was filed against him in light of the #MeToo movement. A report by the Daily Beast in early 2018 detailed the allegations in detail, with one incident alleged to have taken place after Fassbender became angry when an ex-boyfriend approached Andrews, Fassbender, and two friends at dinner and said hello. This anger reportedly manifested on the drive home after the dinner.

The documents indicate that Fassbender was screaming at Andrews while driving recklessly, which prompted her to stop the car and leave. In the end, however, it appears that Fassbender put the car into drive and dragged Andrews alongside it when she walked to the driver's side to remove the key from the ignition. Andrews claimed that this resulted in serious injuries. "I went to the hospital and had a twisted left ankle, blown out left knee cap, and a burst ovarian cyst," the filing read. "Lots of internal bleeding." There was also an incident of abuse at a film festival in July 2009, where Andrews claimed that Fassbender returned to the hotel room after a night of drinking with a friend, and the two men tried to get into bed with her. After checking into another hotel room to avoid the men, Andrews claims that she woke up to find Fassbender "sleeping in urine." When she attempted to wake him, she claimed that he threw her over a chair and broke her nose.

Andrews listed Nov. 18, 2009 as the most recent abuse date in the petition. There was a temporary restraining order against Fassbender at the time, but it expired when Andrews voluntarily withdrew her petition for a permanent protective order one day before the hearing. It's unclear why the request was canceled. After Andrews' accusations, Fassbender's career took off despite the allegations he faced, and he went on to star in 12 Years a Slave, as well as X-Men: First Class. The actor, who got married to Alicia Vikander in 2017, hasn't publicly acknowledged the allegations against him.

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