One of the #MeToo accusers, Italian actress Asia Argento, has reportedly been accused of assault herself.
Asia Argento was one of the first to speak out against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.
The New York Times reports that legal documents show the actress paid a former co-star $380,000 after he alleged she had assaulted him in a California hotel room in 2013.
A lawyer for Asia Argento declined to comment on the allegations.
The actress’ accuser, Jimmy Bennett was just 17 at the time. The age of consent in California is 18.
Asia Argento would have been 37 at the time of the encounter.
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Jimmy Bennett says in the documents that the encounter traumatized him and threatened his mental health and career, the New York Times reported.
He had played Asia Argento’s young son in a 2004 film.
In the documents seen by the paper, Asia Argento’s lawyer said that the money was given to Jimmy Bennett to help him, and that it was Argento who had been preyed upon.
In a statement published by Vanity Fair, a lawyer for Jimmy Bennett said his client would not comment but would take the “next 24 hours, or longer, to prepare his response”.
A lawyer for Harvey Weinstein said the development revealed “a stunning level of hypocrisy by Asia Argento”.
Another high-profile accuser of Harvey Weinstein, Rose McGowan, has also reacted to the reports, tweeting: “I got to know Asia Argento ten months ago. Our commonality is the shared pain of being assaulted by Harvey Weinstein. My heart is broken. I will continue my work on behalf of victims everywhere. None of us know the truth of the situation and I’m sure more will be revealed. Be gentle.”
