The disgraced movie mogul's attorney Benjamin Brafman calls the actress a hyprocite, saying that 'the sheer duplicity of her conduct is quite extraordinary.'
- Aug 21, 2018
AceShowbiz - Harvey Weinstein's lawyer Benjamin Brafman mocked Asia Argento for being a hypocrite, following a report which claimed she paid money to silence her sexual assault accuser. The disgraced movie mogul's attorney also stated that "the sheer duplicity of her conduct is quite extraordinary."
"This development reveals a stunning level of hypocrisy by Asia Argento, one of the most vocal catalysts who sought to destroy Harvey Weinstein," the 70-year-old lawyer said of the "Land of the Dead" actress in a statement.
"What is perhaps most egregious, is the timing, which suggests that at the very same time Argento was working on her own secret settlement for the alleged sexual abuse of a minor, she was positioning herself at the forefront of those condemning Mr. Weinstein, despite the fact that her sexual relationship with Mr. Weinstein was between two consenting adults which lasted for more than four years," he continued to point out.
"The sheer duplicity of her conduct is quite extraordinary and should demonstrate to everyone how poorly the allegations against Mr. Weinstein were actually vetted and accordingly, cause all of us to pause and allow due process to prevail, not condemnation by fundamental dishonesty," the lawyer added.
Harvey Weinstein’s attorney responds to @nytimes report that says @AsiaArgento, one of the first women to publicly accuse Weinstein of sexual assault, paid $38K to her own accuser, a musician/actor who says he was sexually assaulted by her in California when he was 17 yrs old pic.twitter.com/ahlolYZu6e
— Elizabeth Joseph (@ElizabethCNN) August 20, 2018
Argento was accused of sexual misconduct by former child actor and musician Jimmy Bennett in November 2017, just a month after the "XXX" actress accused Weinstein of harassment and rape.
According to the report, the two met at the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey with Bennett's family member before the "Marie Antoinette" actress asked for sometime alone with the actor. The mother of two then gave him alcohol and kissed him. Afterward, she performed an oral sex before they had a sexual intercourse.
The sexual encounter with Argento was so traumatic for Bennett that it affected his mental health, career and income. It reportedly left him feeling "extremely confused, mortified, and disgusted." The "Poseidon" actor then sued the Italian actress and director for $3.5 million in damages for the intentional infliction of emotional distress, lost wages, assault and battery.
The report said that Argento settled the case by paying Bennett $380,000, while the latter had to give a picture of him and the actress in bed along with its copyright to her as a part of the agreement.
