Armie Hammer was charged Thursday with violently sexually assaulting a woman for more than four hours in Los Angeles in 2017, leading her to believe that “he was going to kill me.” A Hammer attorney has denied the allegations.
The allegations against the 34-year-old actor, known for his roles in ‘Call Me By Your Name’ and ‘The Social Network’, emerged during a video press conference held by his prosecutor, who was identified only as ‘Effie’, and her attorney, Gloria Allred.
The woman, who cried during her statement, said she met Hammer on Facebook in 2016 when she was 20 years old, and “fell in love with him instantly. The relationship progressed quickly and the emotions on both sides became really intense.” Hammer was married at the time of the alleged relationship, but he and his wife announced last year that they had filed for divorce.
Allred said Effie had a “romantic and intimate relationship” with Hammer between 2016 and 2020. During that time, Effie said Hammer “used manipulation tactics to control me until I started to lose myself.”
“He often tested my devotion to him by cunningly removing and crossing my boundaries as he became more and more violent,” she added. “He has abused me mentally, emotionally and sexually.”
On April 24, 2017, she alleged that Hammer violently raped her in Los Angeles for more than four hours. She accused him of repeatedly hitting the wall with her head and committing “other acts of violence” to which she did not agree – including allegedly hitting her feet with a crop.
“During those four hours I tried to get away, but he wouldn’t let me in,” she said. “I thought he was going to kill me.”
Gloria Allred
The allegations come at a difficult time for Hammer, who gave up two major projects earlier this year after multiple women claimed on social media that the actor shared violent sexual fantasies with them. Hammer has denied the claims, which CBS News has not confirmed, calling them “bulls ***” in a statement to E! Online.
Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to CBS News that it has launched a sexual assault investigation into Hammer for sexual assault allegations based on a report they received on February 3, 2021, but the department did not confirm that the report was filed by Effie. . Allred said Effie had provided information to the police, but declined to comment on whether Effie had filed a police report at the time of the alleged sexual assault.
A Hammer attorney denied the allegations, telling CBS News in a statement that “Mr. Hammer has maintained that all of his interactions with [Effie] – and every other sexual partner of his for that matter – have been fully consensual, pre-discussed and agreed, and mutually participating. “
The attorney also released a screenshot of a text conversation between Hammer and Effie, in which Hammer appeared to reject Effie’s graphic request for sex. The attorney told CBS News that Effie’s “own correspondence with Mr. Hammer undermines and refutes her scandalous allegations.” CBS News has not confirmed the authenticity of the messages.
In response to the attorney’s comment, Allred Hammer called for “submitting all communications with Effie to the Los Angeles Police Department and answering all of their questions directly rather than through his attorneys.”
“Even if a partner consents to certain sexual acts, it does not mean consent for all sexual behavior with her. Nor should it be interpreted as consent to sexual abuse or criminal violence against her,” Allred said at the conference. press conference.
Allred said Effie has provided evidence to support her law enforcement claims, adding “it is up to law enforcement and the prosecutor to decide whether there is sufficient evidence to prosecute it.”
“We think it is important to investigate these serious allegations,” said Allred. “We look forward to hearing whether Mr. Hammer, instead of his representatives, will be willing to assist investigators in their search for the truth.”