Asia Argento threatens to sue Rose McGowan over child sex assault claims
Argento has demanded that her fellow #MeToo fighter retract her statement claiming that the Italian actress admitted to having sex with Jimmy Bennett to McGowan and McGowan’s partner.
In a tweet on Monday, Argento said she gives McGowan 24 hours to retract her “horrendous lies” made on August 27 or she will get sued.
“Dear @RoseMcGowan. It is with genuine regret that I am giving you 24 hours to retract and apologise for the horrendous lies made against me... If you fail to address this libel I will have no option other than to take immediate legal action,” Argento tweeted.
Dear @RoseMcGowan. It is with genuine regret that I am giving you 24 hours to retract and apologise for the horrendous lies made against me in your statement of August 27th. If you fail to address this libel I will have no option other than to take immediate legal action.
— Asia Argento (@AsiaArgento) September 17, 2018
McGowan said that Argento had told her and her partner, model Rain Dove, that she was being extorted for a large sum of money every month.
“No one in the room knew who the extortionist was. Now we know it to be a reference to this case [of Jimmy Bennett],” McGowan said in her statement.
Dove also said Argento admitted to receiving unsolicited nudes from Bennett since he was 12 but never did anything to stop him from sending them.
“Asia you were my friend,” McGowan said. “I loved you. You’ve spent and risked a lot to stand with the MeToo movement. I really hope you find your way through this process to rehabilitation and betterment. Anyone can be be better- I hope you can be, too. Do the right thing. Be honest. Be fair. Let justice stay its course. Be the person you wish Harvey could have been.”
Argento has repeatedly denied accusations that she had intercourse with Bennett in spite of documents seen by the New York Times that revealed that Argento allegedly arranged to pay Bennett $380,000 after he accused her of sexual assault. Bennett alleges that he was aged 17 at the time of the encounter, while Argento was 37. The legal age of consent in California is 18.
Bennett has previously said that he decided to come forward about the alleged sexual assault when Argento went public with allegations that she was a victim of producer Harvey Weinstein.
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