#MeToo advocate Asia Argento allegedly had a sexual assault case against her

Actress Asia Argento is known as one of the most outspoken supporters of the #MeToo movement after accusing Harvey Weinstein of rape. But it seems that she’s also being accused of sexual assault by 22-year-old actor and musician Jimmy Bennett.

The New York Times reported that Asia allegedly slept with Jimmy in 2013 when he was only 17 years old and she was 37. This happened in California where the age of consent is 18 years old. Following the incident, it was reported that Asia settled Jimmy’s notice of intent to sue for $380,000. This happened shortly after she came out with her Weinstein accusations in October.

The publication received case documents from an “unidentified party” which included a selfie of the two actors and letters from their lawyers. One was written to Asia where it detailed the finalizing of the settlement. A notice also claimed that Jimmy was traumatized, which hindered his career and affected his mental health.

The two actors have worked together in the 2004 film The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things where Asia played Jimmy’s mother. According to The New York Times, the two have kept in touch based on social media posts in 2013.

Both parties haven’t confirmed the allegations—Asia’s representatives could not be reached and Jimmy declined to comment.

[The New York Times]

 

Photo courtesy of Asia Argento’s Instagram account

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Jacqueline Arias: