Asia Argento allegedly sexually assaulted actor Jimmy Bennett and quietly arranged to pay him off so he wouldn't sue her, The New York Times reported.
The alleged incident took place in Los Angeles' Ritz-Carlton hotel in 2013, when Bennett was 17 and Argento was 37.
Bennett was reportedly so traumatized that it hindered his work and income, and threatened his mental health.
Argento reportedly arranged the payments to Bennett in the months after she accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct last year.
The payments don't stop Bennett from speaking out about the incident, but stop him from suing her, according to the Times.
Argento has declined to comment. Bennett's attorney said he is "focusing on his music."
Asia Argento, a leading figure of the #MeToo movement, has been accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old actor and arranging to pay him $380,000 to stop him taking legal action, according to a The New York Times.
The Italian actress allegedly sexually assaulted Jimmy Bennett in 2013, and quietly arranged the payments in the months after the #MeToo movement gained momentum last year, the Times reported.
The assault allegedly took place in a California hotel room in 2013, shortly after Bennett's 17th birthday. Argento was 37 at the time. The age of consent in California is 18, meaning Argento could be charged with statutory rape if the claims are investigated by police.
Business Insider has contacted Argento's agent and lawyers for comment. A representative for the actress declined to comment on the claims when contacted by the Times.
Business Insider has also contacted Bennett's attorney, Gordon Sattro. The lawyer told the Times: "In the coming days, Jimmy will continue doing what he has been doing over the past months and years, focusing on his music."
Argento is one of the most vocal figures in the #MeToo movement. Shortly after The New York Times detailed multiple sexual misconduct allegations against Harvey Weinstein last October, Argento also told The New Yorker's Ronan Farrow that Weinstein had forcibly performed oral sex on her and raped her in 1997.
She added that she had multiple consensual sexual relations with Weinstein over the following five years because she felt "obliged." She told Farrow: "After the rape, he won."
The Times said it discovered documents regarding Bennett's claim and Argento's arrangement for the money in an encrypted email sent from an unidentified party.
Bennett's account of the alleged 2013 incident
The cache included a document laying out Bennett's graphic description of being reunited with the actress after they starred together in 2004 film "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things."
Citing the document, the Times said Bennett arrived at a Ritz-Carlton hotel room in Marina del Rey, California, with a family member for the meeting with Argento.
According to the document, Argento asked the family member to leave, then gave Bennett alcohol and showed him a series of notes she had written to him. Then, she allegedly kissed him, pushed him back on the bed, removed his pants, performed oral sex on him, and the two had sex.
Bennett then said Argento asked Bennett to take a number of photos. The Times also reported seeing a selfie, dated May 9, 2013, of the two in bed. As part of the agreement, Bennett had to give the photograph and its copyright to Argento.
The 2013 incident left Bennett so traumatized that it hindered his work and income, and threatened his mental health. This was according to a notice of intent to sue that Bennett's lawyer sent to Argento's lawyer, Richard Hofstetter, in November 2017, which was also seen by the Times.
The notice of intent asked for $3.5 million in damages for the intentional infliction of emotional distress, lost wages, assault, and battery, the Times reported. Bennett sent his demand for money a month after Argento spoke to The New York Times about her experience with Weinstein.
It was Argento's role in the #MeToo movement that prompted Bennett to file the lawsuit, the Times reported Bennett as claiming.
Gordon Sattro, Bennett's lawyer, wrote in his intent to sue Argento: "His feelings about that day were brought to the forefront recently when Ms. Argento took the spotlight as one of the many victims of Harvey Weinstein."
Argento and Bennett had known each other since at least 2004, when they played a mother and son in the film "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things." In the years after the movie was made, the two continued to refer to each other as mother and son.
Argento posted selfies with Bennett on Instagram
On the day the hotel room incident allegedly took place, Argento posted at least five photos on Instagram from her hotel room, four of which were of the two of them.
The captions included: "Waiting for my long lost son my love @jimmymbennett in trepidation," "Happiest day of my life reunion with @jimmymbennett xox," and "My son my love until I will live @jimmymbennett marina del rey 05.2013."
Happiest day of my life reunion with @jimmymbennett xox A post shared by asiaargento (@asiaargento) on May 9, 2013 at 1:08pm PDT on May 9, 2013 at 1:08pm PDT
A month after the hotel room incident in May 2013, Bennett also sent Argento a Twitter message, saying: "Miss you momma!!!!" according to the Times. Bennett's Twitter has since been shut down.
In the months following the incident, Bennett also appeared to have money troubles. He claimed his parents had barred him from the family home and kept his possessions, and cheated him out of at least $1.5 million in his earnings, according to the Times.
The Times also saw a letter addressed to Argento from her lawyer Carrie Goldberg, dated this April, confirming the final details of the deal and setting out a schedule of payments. Goldberg reportedly characterized the money as "helping Mr Bennett."
Details of the alleged payments from Argento to Bennett
According to the agreement, Argento was to pay Bennett $380,000 over the course of one-and-a-half years, starting with $200,000 that was paid in April.
Argento's payments to Bennett don't stop Bennett from speaking out about the incident, but do stop him from suing her or posting the photo of the two of them, the Times reported.
Goldberg, Argento's lawyer, also wrote in a letter cited by the Times: "At the very least, he is not permitted to bother you for more money, disparage you or sue — so long as you comply with your obligations in the agreement."
My son my love until I will live @jimmymbennett marina del rey 05.2013 A post shared by asiaargento (@asiaargento) on May 9, 2013 at 2:29pm PDT on May 9, 2013 at 2:29pm PDT
Argento's late boyfriend Anthony Bourdain, whom she met in late 2016, also helped her with Bennett's accusations, the Times reported. Representatives of Bourdain, and Bourdain's separated wife Ottavia Busia declined to comment to The New York Times.
Jodi Kantor, the Times reporter that broke the story about Weinstein paying off multiple women, tweeted on Monday: "Still hoping she speaks up. People are going to want to hear what she has to say and how it meshes with her other statements about #metoo."
The clip below shows Argento and Bennett playing a mother and son in the 2004 film, "The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things":
Asia Argento says she was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein in a hotel room in 1997 when she was 21 years old. He asked her for a massage, she told Ronan Farrow of the New Yorker last year, then performed oral sex on her against her will.
“I’ve been damaged,” she told Farrow. “Just talking to you about it, my whole body is shaking.”
Nearly a year after the New Yorker report, Argento is now the one accused. Jimmy Bennett, a 22-year-old actor and musician, says Argento sexually assaulted him when he was 17, according to documents obtained by the New York Times. Bennett threatened to sue Argento in November, the month after she spoke publicly about Weinstein — at that time, his lawyer wrote that Argento’s statements about Weinstein had stirred up painful memories for Bennett about his own experience. Argento ultimately agreed to pay Bennett $380,000, Kim Severson of the Times reported Sunday. She did not respond to the Times’s requests for comment.
Bennett’s allegations against Argento are especially disturbing since Argento has emerged as one of the most visible representatives of the #MeToo movement. But the actor’s report does not invalidate that movement, or Argento’s own experience. If Argento committed sexual assault, she cannot be an effective advocate for survivors — but that doesn’t mean she is not, herself, a survivor. As the #MeToo movement matures, it is uncovering uncomfortable truths about power and abuse, and among them is the fact that those who have been harmed sometimes go on to inflict that harm on others.
Bennett’s report has a lot in common with Argento’s
Bennett’s account of his experience with Argento has many similarities to those of others who have spoken out as part of #MeToo, including Argento herself. Bennett met Argento at age 7, when he played her son in The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, which she directed, starred in, and co-wrote. In the documents obtained by the Times, Bennett, who did not speak to Severson directly, says Argento became a mentor and mother figure to him.
In 2013, when Bennett was 17 and Argento was 37, a family member drove him to meet Argento at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Marina Del Rey, California, according to the documents. Argento asked the family member to leave, gave Bennett alcohol, and performed oral sex on him, the documents say. Then she climbed on top of him and had intercourse with him. The age of consent in California at the time was 18.
Argento also asked Bennett to take photos, the documents say. The Times has reviewed three photos that appear to show the two in bed, one of which shows both of their faces.
After he left the hotel, Bennett began to feel “extremely confused, mortified, and disgusted,” the documents say. He also says the trauma of the incident hampered his ability to work, and his income dropped significantly as a result.
After receiving Bennett’s notice of intent to sue, Argento agreed to pay him $380,000. In a letter to Argento in April, her lawyer calls the money a way of “helping Mr. Bennett,” and says, “we hope nothing like this ever happens to you again.” The letter also states that Argento did not ask Bennett to sign a nondisclosure agreement because of her opposition to such agreements as part of her #MeToo advocacy.
“You are a powerful and inspiring creator and it is a miserable condition of life that you live among shitty individuals who’ve preyed on both your strengths and your weaknesses,” the letter adds.
Argento has been one of the most visible advocates for #MeToo
Bennett’s report is especially striking because Argento has emerged as one of the most high-profile advocates for survivors of assault and harassment since she spoke out about Weinstein last year. Argento was one of several women who spoke to the New York Times and the New Yorker in October, inspiring others to come forward about Weinstein and sparking the current #MeToo movement. Argento’s boyfriend, chef and memoirist Anthony Bourdain, joined in her advocacy. Bourdain died by suicide in June.
As Severson notes, Argento gave a speech at the Cannes Film Festival in May, which she called Weinstein’s “hunting ground.” She called out those in attendance who were guilty of sexual misconduct: “You know who you are, but, most importantly, we know who you are, and we are not going to allow you to get away with it any longer.”
Argento has faced backlash for her advocacy in her native Italy. One Italian newspaper editor said Argento should be grateful that Weinstein performed oral sex on her, and widespread criticism in Italian media led Argento to leave the country for Berlin.
But allegations against Argento don’t invalidate #MeToo
Argento is not the first advocate for harassment and assault survivors to be accused of misconduct or abuse. In May, Eric Schneiderman, then the attorney general of New York and one of Weinstein’s most powerful adversaries, resigned after four women reported that he abused them. Nor is she the first woman to be accused — just last week, harassment and assault allegations against feminist professor Avital Ronell became public in the New York Times.
Argento is also not the first person to report sexual misconduct and then be accused as a perpetrator. After Junot Díaz came forward publicly about being raped as a child, a woman reported that he had forcibly kissed her, and others said he had subjected them to misogynistic or abusive language.
Early on in the current iteration of the #MeToo movement, many reports coming to light were “open secrets” — stories that had circulated for years within Hollywood or other industries, finally becoming public as survivors felt emboldened to tell their stories. As the current #MeToo movement approaches its one-year anniversary, however, many of those secrets are no longer secret, and the revelations may become more surprising — at least to some. We may see more women accused. We may see more people who have been public advocates for survivors exposed as abusers in their private lives.
Some may be tempted to dismiss #MeToo on the basis of these reports, to say that if #MeToo advocates are accused of misconduct, they must be inherently untrustworthy, and that allegations against them tarnish the movement at large. But this is the wrong lesson to take from Bennett’s story. Nothing in his account invalidates Argento’s own experience. Disturbing as it may be, it is perfectly possible for survivors of sexual violence to commit sexual misconduct themselves.
Rather, allegations against Argento, Schneiderman, Díaz, Ronell, and others are a reminder that power imbalances can leave the less powerful person vulnerable to sexual harassment and assault, regardless of the genders or histories of the people involved. They are a reminder that those accused of sexual misconduct as part of #MeToo won’t always be the people we suspect, those about whom rumors have been swirling for years. They may be people we trusted and admired, who spoke out against sexual violence or advocated gender equality.
The work of #MeToo now is to recognize that perpetrators of sexual violence are not evil caricatures, impervious to harm and doing no good. Rather, they are humans who operate in a system that protects some as it leaves others at risk. Changing that system will require us to acknowledge that some people have both benefited from and been scarred by it, and that the former does not invalidate the latter.
The actor and #MeToo campaigner – who accused Harvey Weinstein of rape – reportedly paid $380,000 last year to former co-star Jimmy Bennett
Asia Argento accused of paying off actor who says she sexually assaulted him aged 17
One of the most prominent activists of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment recently settled a complaint filed against her by a young actor and musician who said she sexually assaulted him when he was 17, the New York Times reported.
Asia Argento, 42, settled the notice of intent to sue filed by Jimmy Bennett, who is now 22, for $380,000 shortly after she said last October that movie mogul Harvey Weinstein raped her, the Times reported.
Argento and Bennett co-starred in a 2004 film The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, in which Argento played Bennett’s mother.
Bennett says in the notice that he had sex with Argento in a California hotel in 2013. The age of consent in California is 18. The notice says the encounter traumatised Bennett, affected his mental health and damaged his career, the Times reported.
The notice claims that Bennett arrived at the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey to meet Argento in her hotel room on 10 May 2013, with a family member. Argento asked to be alone with Bennett and the family member left. Bennett claims Argento gave him alcohol before proceeding to kiss him and perform oral sex before having intercourse with him.
The documents say that Argento then asked to take a number of photos with him. Photos of Argento and Bennett semi-clothed in bed, as well as an Instagram post of their faces taken on that day, were included in the notice of intent to sue. Three people familiar with the case said the documents were authentic, the Times reported.
Argento became one of the most well-known activists of the #MeToo movement after she told the New Yorker magazine that Weinstein raped her at the Cannes film festival in 1997 when she was 21. Argento told the magazine that she continued to have a relationship with Weinstein because she was afraid of angering him.
Weinstein has been indicted on sex crime accusations involving three women, but not including Argento. He denies all charges of non-consensual sex.
Since the Weinstein allegations became public, Argento has spoken out about sexual harassment both in Hollywood and her home country of Italy and given high-profile talks on the subject at Harvard University and at the Cannes film festival.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jimmy Bennett and Asia Argento in 2004 film The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things
The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things was directed by Argento and based on the novel by JT LeRoy. In the film, she plays a drug-taking prostitute struggling to care for her young son, played by Bennett, who is raped by one of her boyfriends. Her character persuades her son to cross-dress and act as an increasingly seductive “little sister”.
Writing on Twitter in the wake of the New York Times report, Rose McGowan – who has also accused Weinstein of assault – wrote that her “heart is broken”.
rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) 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.
The Guardian has reached out to Argento for comment, but at the time of publication had not received a response. Through a representative, Bennett declined an interview with the New York Times.
