After threatening to sue former friend Rose McGowan, actress Asia Argento is now sending a warning to her sexual assault accuser Jimmy Bennett.
At the end of August, the New York Times published a piece in which Argento was accused of sexual assaulting the then-17-year-old child actor and later settled for $380,000. Bennett, now 22, is planning to go on an Italian TV show sometime this weekend to discuss their sexual encounter on May 9, 2013. This will mark his first public appearance since the story broke.
Per TMZ, Argento’s lawyer sent a warning to the actor, letting him know they’ll be watching his interview. Asia’s people will be on the lookout for anything "slanderous, defamatory or untruthful statements" about the actress, per her lawyer’s letter. If they feel Bennett crosses any of these lines, they plan to take legal action.
Since the story broke, there’s been no criminal investigation open against Argento. She first claimed that the Times piece was a total lie, but texts later revealed she’d admitted to the incident, though she blamed Bennett for “jumping her.” She later alleged Bennett attacked her, and that she is actually the victim in this situation.
“I had sex with him and it felt weird. I didn’t know he was a minor until the shakedown letter. The public knows nothing, only what NYT wrote. Which is one-sided. The shakedown letter. The horny kid jumped me," Argento reportedly wrote via text.
The allegation against Argento shocked many, since she is one of the most outspoken women among Harvey Weinstein’s alleged victims and became a leading voice within the #MeToo movement.
