Lena Dunham Faces Backlash for Defending Writer Accused of Sexual Assault

Girls creator Lena Dunham has sparked controversy by defending a writer and producer on her HBO show accused of sexually assaulting an actress when she was 17. Dunham issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on Friday dismissing the allegations against Murray Miller, who actress Aurora Perrineau alleges raped her at a hotel in 2012. Calling Perrineau's complaint to police over the alleged assault one of very few “misreported” assault cases, Dunham and Girls showrunner Jenni Konner issued a joint statement describing the accusations as an example of “taking down the wrong targets.” “While our first instinct is to listen to every woman’s story, our insider knowledge of Murray’s situation makes us confident that sadly this accusation is one of the 3 percent of assault cases that are misreported every year,” the statement said. Dunham's remarks quickly triggered an outcry, with Harvey Weinstein accuser Asia Argento among those to ask why Dunham, a self-proclaimed feminist, would be so outspoken in speaking out about rape only to defend an accused rapist when it happens to be her friend.