Armie Hammer was accused on Thursday of sexually assaulting a woman in a violent manner for more than four hours in Los Angeles in 2017, leading her to believe that “he was going to kill me”. A Hammer lawyer denied the charges.
The charges against the 34-year-old actor, known for his roles in “Call Me By Your Name” and “The Social Network”, came during a videoconference held by his accuser, identified only as “Effie”, and his lawyer, Gloria Allred .
The woman, who wept throughout her statement, said she met Hammer on Facebook in 2016 when she was 20, and “fell in love with him instantly. The relationship progressed quickly and the emotions on both sides became very intense” . Hammer was married during the alleged relationship, but he and his wife announced last year that they were asking for a divorce.
Allred said that Effie had an intermittent “romantic and intimate relationship” with Hammer between 2016 and 2020. During that time, Effie said that Hammer was “employing manipulation tactics to exercise control over me, until I started to lose myself”.
“He used to test my devotion to him, shrewdly removing and crossing my boundaries, as he became more and more violent,” she added. “He abused me mentally, emotionally and sexually.”
On April 24, 2017, she claimed that Hammer raped her violently for more than four hours in Los Angeles. She accused him of repeatedly hitting his head against the wall and of committing “other acts of violence” that she did not consent to – including allegedly hitting his feet with a whip.
“During those four hours, I tried to escape, but he wouldn’t let me,” she said. “I thought he was going to kill me.”
Gloria Allred
The accusations come at a difficult time for Hammer, who withdrew from two major projects earlier this year after several women claimed on social media that the actor shared violent sexual fantasies with them. Hammer denied the allegations, which CBS News did not confirm, calling them “bulls ***” in a statement to E! Connected.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to CBS News that it opened a sexual assault investigation in Hammer on allegations of assault based on a report it received on February 3, 2021, but the department has not confirmed that the report was made by Effie . Allred said Effie gave information to the police, but declined to comment on whether Effie filed a police report at the time of the alleged assault.
A Hammer lawyer denied the allegations, telling CBS News in a statement that “Mr. Hammer said that all of his interactions with [Effie] – and all his other sexual partners on this issue – were completely consensual, discussed and agreed in advance, and mutually participatory. “
The lawyer also released a screenshot of what he said was a text conversation between Hammer and Effie, in which Hammer appeared to refuse Effie’s graphic request for sex. The lawyer told CBS News that “Effie’s correspondence with Mr. Hammer undermines and refutes his outrageous accusations”. CBS News has not confirmed the authenticity of the messages.
In response to the attorney’s comment, Allred asked Hammer to “present all, not some, of his communications with Effie to the Los Angeles Police Department and answer all of his questions directly, rather than through his lawyers.”
“Even if a partner consents to some sexual acts, that does not mean that there is consent to any and all sexual conduct with her. It should also not be interpreted as consent to sexual abuse or criminal violence against her,” said Allred during the press conference. .
Allred said Effie provided evidence to support his claims to law enforcement, adding that “it is up to law enforcement and the prosecutor to decide if there is enough evidence to investigate it”.
“We think it is important that an investigation into these serious charges be conducted,” said Allred. “We are anxious to know whether Mr. Hammer, instead of his representatives, will be willing to assist investigators in their search for the truth.”