Weinstein accuser Asia Argento made deal to pay her own sexual assault accuser, bombshell report says
By Samuel Chamberlain | Fox News
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Actress Asia Argento, one of the first prominent women to accuse disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, agreed to pay $380,000 to an actor who accused her of sexually assaulting him when he was 17 years old, The New York Times reported Sunday night.
The actor claimed that the assault took place in a California hotel room in 2013, according to the report. The age of consent in California is 18.
Neither Argento's representatives nor the actor's attorney immediately responded to Fox News' request for comment.
The newspaper obtained documents sent between lawyers for Argento and the accuser that laid out a payment schedule. The paper also obtained a photograph dated May 9, 2013 that showed the two lying in a bed together.
On that date, according to a notice of intent to sue document sent to Argento's then-lawyer in November, Argento met the actor at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Marina del Rey, Calif. After giving him alcohol, Argento kissed him and performed oral sex on him before the two had sexual intercourse, the report said.
The notice of intent asked for $3.5 million in damages. The Times reported that the final agreement was reached in April of this year.
Argento, now 42, played a prominent role in the downfall of Weinstein, the former head of Miramax. In October of last year, The New Yorker published allegations by Argento that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in 1997.
"I was not willing,” she told journalist Ronan Farrow at the time. "I said, 'No, no, no.' ... It's twisted. A big fat man wanting to eat you. It's a scary fairy tale."
Argento added that she occasionally had consensual sexual encounters with Weinstein over the years, because she felt she "had to" and "didn't want to anger him."
The allegations against Weinstein by Argento and other actresses -- including Ashley Judd, Gwenyth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Rose McGowan -- gave rise to the global "MeToo" movement and prompted a re-examination of the behavior of prominent men in other industries, most notably media and entertainment.
Weinstein has since been charged in New York with first- and third-degree rape and first-degree commission of a criminal sex act. He faces up to 37 years in prison if convicted.
As of Sunday evening, the pinned tweet on Argento's Twitter account referenced a speech she gave at May's Cannes Film Festival in France, an event she described as Weinstein's "hunting ground."
"For all the brave women who came forward denouncing their predators, and for all the brave women who will come forward in the future," she wrote. "We got the power."
Rose McGowan heartbroken over report Asia Argento made deal to pay her own sexual assault accuser
By Ryan Gaydos | Fox News
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Rose McGowan said Monday she was heartbroken after a bombshell report revealed Asia Argento agreed to pay $380,000 to an actor who accused her of sexually assaulting him when he was 17 years old.
“I got to know Asia Argento ten months ago,” McGowan wrote in a tweet. “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.”
Argento, one of the first prominent women to accuse disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, claimed the assault took place in a California hotel room in 2013, The New York Times reported. The age of consent in California is 18.
Neither Argento's representatives nor the actor's attorney immediately responded to Fox News' request for comment.
The newspaper obtained documents sent between lawyers for Argento and the accuser that laid out a payment schedule. The paper also obtained a photograph dated May 9, 2013 that showed the two lying in a bed together.
On that date, according to a notice of intent to sue document sent to Argento's then-lawyer in November, Argento met the actor at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Marina del Rey, Calif. After giving him alcohol, Argento kissed him and performed oral sex on him before the two had sexual intercourse, the report said.
The notice of intent asked for $3.5 million in damages. The Times reported that the final agreement was reached in April of this year.
Argento, now 42, played a prominent role in the downfall of Weinstein, the former head of Miramax. In October of last year, The New Yorker published allegations by Argento that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in 1997.
Argento and McGowan were among the actresses who gave rise to the global "MeToo" movement and prompted a re-examination of the behavior of prominent men in other industries, most notably media and entertainment.
Weinstein has since been charged in New York with first- and third-degree rape and first-degree commission of a criminal sex act. He faces up to 37 years in prison if convicted.
Rose McGowan criticized after urging people to be 'gentle' on Asia Argento amid sexual assault claims
By Lukas Mikelionis | Fox News
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Rose McGowan is facing backlash on social media after urging people on Monday to be “gentle” and not jump to conclusions after a bombshell report revealed that Asia Argento agreed to pay $380,000 to an actor who accused her of sexually assaulting him when he was 17 years old.
“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,” said McGowan, who played a pivotal role in the downfall of disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.
“None of us know the truth of the situation and I’m sure more will be revealed. Be gentle,” she added, sparking condemnations and accusations of hypocrisy.
Her comments came amid a New York Times report that Argento, who was one of the first prominent women to accuse Weinstein of sexual assault, allegedly assaulted a then-underage former child star in a California hotel room in 2013. The newspaper obtained documents sent between lawyers for Argento and the accuser that laid out a payment schedule.
Many on social media called out McGowan’s comments, claiming her rhetoric was starkly different when others were accused of sexual misconduct.
Christina Hoff Sommers, an American Enterprise Institute scholar and critic of the modern feminist movement, accused McGowan of “hypocrisy” and having “double standards” when it comes to male survivors of sexual assault.
”The answer to male privilege is not female privilege. The answer is basic fairness for all,” Sommers tweeted. “#Metoo movement will fail if its leaders engage in hypocrisy, cronyism & double standards. Rose McGowan’s advice should apply to all who are accused, not just to her friend #AsiaArgento. Old-girl network (Judith Butler, Gayatri Spivak) defending #AvitalRonell discredits #Metoo.”
Others issued similar condemnations of McGowan. “Y’all love calling out abusers/rapists but the second one of your friends turns out to be one, you say stuff like this. Truly amazing how quick people are to drop everything they supposedly believe in,” read a tweet that gathered nearly five thousand interactions.
“‘Be gentle’? Why? Because she’s a woman and your friend? Your comments are a major slap in the face to everything the #MeToo movement represents. Double standards beyond belief,” tweeted actor Harry Cook. “This is a contradiction to everything you apparently stand for. What happened to believe all victims? Or does that only count when it’s not your buddy?”
Some have also pointed that just last week McGowan was announced to be the recipient of Inspiration award at the 21st annual GQ Men Of The Year Awards 2018 and urged the men’s lifestyle magazine to revoke the award.
Asia Argento Says 17-Year-Old Jimmy Bennett Sexually Assaulted Her
By the TMZ Staff
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Asia Argento says Jimmy Bennett -- who had sex with her when he was 17 years old -- is lucky she didn't file charges that HE sexually assaulted and then extorted her.
Argento's lawyer, Mark Jay Heller, tells TMZ, his client's text messages that TMZ posted tell the real story about what went down at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Marina del Rey, CA. The text in question read, "The horny kid jumped me ... I had sex with him it felt weird." She goes on to say she was "frozen" when he was on top of her.
Heller says, "Asia chose at the time not to prosecute Bennett for sexually attacking her."
As for her statement after the story broke -- "I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett" -- Heller says she was being honest because it was a one-time only encounter and not a relationship.
Heller goes on to claim Bennett smelled a payday and tried to extort Argento, especially when he found out she was dating Anthony Bourdain. He says Bennett "chose to intrude on that relationship and demand financial payment from Bourdain in consideration for not embarrassing Asia and indirectly Bourdain ..."
Heller says Anthony chose to protect Asia by agreeing to pay $380k even though she did nothing wrong.
And, Heller says, Bourdain paid $250k up to this point, but Argento will not pay the balance.
Heller ends by attacking Bennett, saying, "Asia does not intend to prosecute Bennett for his conduct and recognizes that his unfortunate past, his stalled acting career, and a lawsuit against his own parents for allegedly misappropriating more than a million and a half dollars from his account might explain his desperation to seek money from Asia and Bourdain for this falsely alleged incident that took place more than 5 years ago."
The attack against Bennett is odd ... because Argento has spoken out against shaming alleged victims in sexual assault cases.
Bennett claims he was indeed sexually assaulted by Argento.
