Report: Asia Argento Paid Her Own Sexual-Assault Accuser $380,000

Asia Argento, the Italian actress and director who became a leading voice in the #MeToo movement after accusing Harvey Weinstein of assault, paid a young actor $380,000 after he accused her of sexually assaulting him while he was underage, according to The New York Times. The actor said he was 17 and Argento 37 when she allegedly assaulted him in a motel room in 2013, years after they had worked together in The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things. Argento reportedly paid him the money after his lawyer sent her lawyer a “notice of intent” saying the aftermath of the “sexual battery” traumatized him, affected his work and income, and endangered his mental health. Argento’s boyfriend, the chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain, also a leading voice in the #MeToo movement after she came forward with accusations against Weinstein, died in June by suicide.