#MeToo Campaign Leader Paid Accuser To Shut Sex Abuse Case

Italian actor and one of the first women who accused Hollywood’s famous producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse, Asia Argento now finds herself on the other side of the table. Argento, who was accused by actor-musician Jimmy Bennett of sexually harassing him in a California hotel when he was 17 and she was 37, reportedly bribed him $380,000 to keep mum.

As a part of the deal, Bennett, who is now 22, gave back a photograph of them both lying in the hotel room bed and its copyright to 42-year-old Argento recently.

Asia Argento opened up about her sexual abuse encounter with Harvey Weinstein to New Yorker last October. After that, many women came forward who gave accounts of first or second-hand experiences about Weinstein’s behaviour in the industry

During the time Bennett was 17, he and Argento starred in a movie together called “The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things”. She played the character of his prostitute mother in the film. Bennett claimed in the notice that he had sex with Argento in the hotel room in 2013, when he was under the age of consent. The legal age of consent in California is 18 years.

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He further stated in the notice how the incident affected his mental health, caused him depression and affected his career.

Argento opened up about her sexual abuse encounter with Harvey Weinstein to New Yorker last October. After that many women came forward who gave accounts of first or second-hand experiences about Weinstein’s behaviour in the industry. It started a discussion about powerful men harassing women in the entertainment sector.

Soon after, the #MeToo movement began, which encouraged women around the globe to tell their stories of sexual harassment to the world. Argento became one of the front-liners of the movement and her boyfriend culinary television star Anthony Bourdain joined her in it. Bourdain committed suicide in June this year.

More Stories by Poorvi Gupta