LOS ANGELES _ Asia Argento, an actress and director at the center of the #MeToo movement, recently paid off a former child actor who said she sexually assaulted him in a Marina del Rey hotel room when he was 17, The New York Times reported Sunday.
Argento, 42, settled a notice of intent to sue from Jimmy Bennett, who in 2004 played her son in a film, for $380,000 in the months after she publicly accused Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of sexually assaulting her, the newspaper reported. In California, the age of consent is 18. Bennett is now 22.
According to the New York Times, the alleged sexual assault on May 9, 2013, and the payment agreement that followed are laid out in documents between lawyers for Argento and Bennett that the newspaper received through encrypted email from an unknown source. The New York Times report did not state that Argento admitted any wrongdoing. The newspaper cited three unnamed sources as confirming the authenticity of the documents.
On the day of the alleged assault, Argento and Bennett met for a reunion at the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey. The pair have referred to each other as mother and son on social media. Argento posted a photo on that day showing her hugging Bennett, referring to him as "My son my love," and included the month and year.
According to the New York Times, Bennett arrived at the hotel with a family member. Argento asked the family member to leave. When they were alone, she allegedly kissed the 17-year-old, removed his pants and performed oral sex, and then had sex with him, the newspaper reported.
Argento became a prominent voice in the #MeToo movement after telling The New Yorker that Weinstein raped her in 1997 when she was 21. Weinstein faces multiple charges of sexual assault and rape, but none of the charges involves Argento's claim.
A source with knowledge of the deal confirmed to the Los Angeles Times that there was a negotiated settlement with Bennett after he leveled the claims against her last year.
Argento was in a relationship with celebrity chef, author and TV host Anthony Bourdain, who helped her navigate the matter, the New York Times reported. Bourdain killed himself in June.
