Jimmy Bennett, an actor and musician, claims that Asia Argento sexually assaulted him in a California hotel room months before his 17th birthday. According to the New York Times, Bennett, now 22, struck a deal with Argento where she agreed to pay him $380K over the course of a year and a half, starting with an initial payment of $200,000 that was made this past April. According to a notice sent to lawyer Richard Hofstetter, the fallout from the “sexual battery” was so traumatic for Bennett that it has reportedly hindered his career and threatened his mental health. Here’s what you need to know about Jimmy Bennett: 1. He Played Argento’s Son In the Film ‘The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things’ The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things TRAILERThis film, produced in 2004, was written, directed, and starred in by Asia Argento. It is based on the controversial novel of the same name by J.T. Leroy. This is the trailer. 2007-06-07T18:24:43.000Z Bennett was 7 when he was cast in the 2004 drama The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things. The film, which Argento both directed and starred in, depicts the grim relationship between a drug-addled prostitute and her young son. Argento’s character dresses her son (played by Bennett) as a girl to lure men, and the boy is ultimately raped in the film’s final act. According to the New York Times, Argento, 42, developed a close relationship with Bennett on the set, serving as both a mentor and a mother figure. Gordon K. Sattro, Bennett’s lawyer, wrote that “Jimmy’s impression of this situation was that a mother-son relationship had blossomed from their experience on set together.” In addition to The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, Bennett has appeared in the 2003 comedy Daddy Day Care opposite Eddie Murphy, the 2005 thriller Hostage opposite Bruce Willis, and the 2009 reboot of Star Trek, where he played a young version of James T. Kirk. 2. The Alleged Assault Took Place at a Ritz-Carlton Hotel In 2013 https://www.instagram.com/p/ZGykBDIw1F/?taken-by=asiaargento According to the court documents, Bennett made plans to meet up with Argento at a Ritz-Carlton in Marina Del Rey on May 9, 2013. The young actor has an eye condition that prevents him from driving, so he was driven to the hotel with a family member. Bennett’s account says that Argento asked the family member to leave so she could be alone with him. She gave him alcohol to drink and showed him a series of notes she had written to him on the hotel stationery. Argento then kissed Bennett, pushed him back on to the bed and removed his pants before performing oral sex. Bennett then states that she climbed on top of him and the two of them had intercourse. Afterwards, Argento reportedly asked him to take photos of her. https://www.instagram.com/p/ZGpU0_Iw_6/?taken-by=asiaargento The two then had lunch and Bennett headed back home to his parents in Orange County. The actor said that he began to feel “extremely confused, mortified, and disgusted” on the drive home. Later that day, Argento posted a photo of them on Instagram with the caption, “Happiest day of my life reunion with @jimmymbennett xox.” She added that “jimmy is going to be in my next movie and that is a fact, dig that jack.” 3. He & Argento Were Friendly With One Another on Twitter Leading up to the alleged assault, Bennett and Argento were friendly with one another on social media. Argento often tweeted at Bennett with compliments, referring to the actor as her “son,” and talking about how excited she is to see him again. This was most notable during the month of August 2012. “@JimmyBennett not sure when I’ll be back but hopefully next time I’ll get to see you,” she tweeted on the 11th. “Even though I might just start crying with happiness.” Argento tweeted at Bennett again on August 15 with the message: “@JimmyBennett I was just so proud of you and after THIDAAT I didn’t want to let you go on another set without me!” She added a second tweet that read: “Sucks I left LA! I would have followed you everywhere. I wish I hadn’t missed any of your birthdays all these years.” Argento also posted a message to him on Instagram the day of the alleged assault. “Waiting for my long lost son my love @jimmymbennett in trepidation,” she wrote. “#marinadelrey smoking cigarettes like there was no next week.” Bennett responded to the post by writing: “I’m almost there! :)” The post 4. He Attributes His Career Decline to His Relationship With Argento Jimmy Bennett InterviewWith Jimmy Kimmel. 2008-11-06T10:08:31.000Z The New York Times reports that Bennett had made more than $2.7 million in the five years before his 2013 meeting with Argento, but that his income has gone down drastically in the five years since. He now makes an estimated $60K a year. Bennett attributes his career decline to the emotional trauma that was inflicted upon him by Argento. Bennett initially asked Argento for $3.5 million in damages, but they ultimately agreed upon $380K. A letter from Argento’s lawyer Carrie Goldberg to Argento said that the money was to help Bennett with his career. “We hope nothing like this ever happens to you again,” Goldberg wrote. “You are a powerful and inspiring creator and it is a miserable condition of life that you live among sh**ty individuals who’ve preyed on both your strengths and your weaknesses.” In addition to these claims, Bennett’s parents have reportedly cheated him out of at least $1.5 million. The actor says that his mother and father started a trust that they would periodically deposit his earnings into, and that they eventually barred him from their house, cutting him off from his personal belongings. He filed a lawsuit against his parents in Orange County Superior Court in October 2014. The case was settled by late December, but the terms were not disclosed. Jimmy Bennett – 'Over Again' Music Video ExclusiveBuy 'Over Again' on itunes: bit.ly/opBkna Exclusive world premiere of Jimmy Bennet's 'Over Again' Music Video.<doc-sep>JIMMY Bennett reportedly sued Asia Argento for a sexual assault that took place in 2013 - but who is he? Here we reveal where he was born, what the accusations were, and what films he has starred in... 2 Actress Asia Argento, a leading voice in the #MeToo movement, reportedly paid off her own sex assault accuser, Jimmy Bennett Credit: Instagram Who is Jimmy Bennett? Jimmy Bennett is a former child actor who starred with Asia Argento in The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things as a seven-year-old. He was born in 1996 in Seal Beach, California, and has appeared in Anchorman, Star Trek, and Evan Almighty. He runs a YouTube page to showcase his singing and guitar-playing. He has been nominated for the Young Artist Award six times, and has won it twice. Asia Argento and 17-Year-Old Boy in Bed in Sexual Encounter https://t.co/y6EeKOdPT7 — TMZ (@TMZ) August 22, 2018 When did he accuse Asia Argento of sexual assault? The young actor reportedly claimed that in 2013 he had sex with Argento in a hotel room in California - where the age of consent is 18. Bennett, who had played Ms Argento's young son in a 2004 film, decided to come forward when he saw her coming forward with her own sexual assault allegations, his lawyer said. Included with the documents was a selfie showing the partially-nude couple in bed dated May 2013, when Bennett was 17 and Argento was 37, the report said. TMZ later released what they claim to be the photo, and claim she texted a pal: "I had sex with him and it felt weird. I didn’t know he was a minor until the shakedown letter." 2 Actress Asia Argento with Weinstein in 2004. She was one of the first of his alleged victims to speak out Credit: Getty MOST READ IN NEWS 'GOBSMACKED' Queen 'gave Harry OK for Oprah series after misleading pitch about soldiers' ROD LIDDLE Ousting right-on National Trust boss is a victory against wokery DRUMMER DEAD School Of Rock star dies at 32 after being hit by car as Jack Black mourns HOUSE ABOUT IT You won't believe what this ordinary London home looks like on the inside Exclusive TOM'S LEGACY Captain Tom Moore — who raised £39m for charity — left family £73k in will JABS HOPE Scientists 'crack cause of blood clots linked to Covid jabs & know how to fix it' What films has he starred in? Jimmy has appeared in a number of well-known films, but is yet to make his breakthrough by starring in a major blockbuster. He voiced a character in The Jungle Book 2, and has appeared in Daddy Day Care, Hostage, and Orphan. He has also appeared in TV shows uncluding Gilmore Girls, Judging Amy, and Murder in The First. We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.<doc-sep>Jimmy Bennett, the actor who has claimed that he was sexually abused as a teenager by the Italian actress and director Asia Argento and who sought a cash settlement from her, issued his first public statement about the matter on Wednesday. He said he was too “afraid and ashamed” to speak up after the incident happened, and when The New York Times approached him in recent days with questions about the case. “I tried to seek justice in a way that made sense to me at the time because I was not ready to deal with the ramifications of my story becoming public,” he said in a statement provided to The Times. “At the time I believed there was still a stigma to being in the situation as a male in our society. I didn’t think that people would understand the event that took place from the eyes of a teenage boy.” The Times reported Sunday that in November, a month after Ms. Argento emerged as a leading figure in the #MeToo movement with her account of sexual assault at the hands of the movie producer Harvey Weinstein, Mr. Bennett sent her a notice of his intent to sue. The document, sent to The Times through encrypted email by an unidentified party, described a May 2013 sexual encounter in a hotel room in Marina del Rey, Calif., when Mr. Bennett was 17 and Ms. Argento was 37. The age of consent in California is 18.<doc-sep>One of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers, Asia Argento, is now being accused of sexual misconduct herself. Actor Jimmy Bennett claims Asia paid him $380,000 to keep quiet about the alleged abuse. Here’s everything to know. Asia Argento, 42, was one of the first women to publicly come forward with claims of sexual misconduct against Harvey Weinstein, but shortly after that, she became embroiled in a sexual misconduct case of her own…and it’s finally been made public. Jimmy Bennett, 22, who once played Asia’s son in a film, alleges that she acted inappropriately with him when they met up in May 2013. At the time of the alleged abuse, Jimmy was just 17 years old, while Asia was 37. The age of consent in California is 18. Documents, obtained by the New York Times, allegedly show that Asia agreed to pay Jimmy $380,000 to keep quiet about the alleged abuse. Here’s everything to know: 1) Jimmy claims the alleged abuse has affected his career. Jimmy’s lawyer first sent Asia papers regarding his intent to sue in Nov. 2017. The documents claimed that Asia’s alleged “sexual battery” had taken an emotional toll on the young actor. Jimmy claimed that he made nearly $3 million in the five years before his alleged inappropriate encounter with Asia in 2013, but that number significantly dropped to $60,000 a year afterward. Jimmy said trauma from the alleged abuse is to blame, according to the New York Times. 2) Jimmy and Asia first worked together in 2004. Jimmy was just seven years old when he starred in The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things. Asia played his mother in the film, but also directed it and helped write it. The two stayed close after filming, and Jimmy’s intent to sue documents stated, “Jimmy’s impression of this situation was that a mother-son relationship had blossomed from their experience on set together.” 3) What is Jimmy’s account of the alleged abuse? Asia did not hide the fact that she met up with Jimmy in May 2013. On the same day of the alleged sexual misconduct, she even posted a photo with him on Instagram with the caption, “my son my love until I will live.” Jimmy alleges that Asia gave him alcohol and showed him letters that she had written for him. She allegedly “kissed him, pushed him back on the bed, removed his pants, and performed oral sex,” before allegedly having intercourse with him, according to the docs. The documents also reportedly contain photos of Jimmy and Asia topless in bed. 4) How were things settled? In the intent to sue letter, Jimmy asked Asia for $3.5 million in damages. By April, lawyers came to an agreement that allegedly outlined a payment plan, where Asia would allegedly pay Jimmy $380,000 over the course of a year and a half. His social media accounts were recently deleted. 5) What other films has Jimmy starred in? Jimmy has appeared in a number of films throughout his career, including Daddy Day Care, The Polar Express and Star Trek. His most recent film was 2017’s Heartthrob. He is also an aspiring musician.<doc-sep>
Jimmy Bennett, the 22-year-old actor who accused Asia Argento of sexually assaulting him in 2013, has released a statement to the Hollywood Reporter after Argento denied the allegations on Tuesday. “I did not initially speak out about my story because I chose to handle it in private with the person who wronged me,” said Bennett, who claims the alleged incident took place at a southern California hotel in 2013, when Bennett was 17, underage in the state, and Argento was 37. “My trauma resurfaced as she came out as a victim herself. I have not made a public statement in the past days and hours because I was ashamed and afraid to be part of the public narrative.” In October 2017, Argento, known for roles in xXx and Land of the Dead, accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual assaulting her at a Cannes hotel in 1997. After going public with the allegations, she quickly became a leading voice in the #MeToo movement. But earlier this week in the New York Times, it was reported that Argento had arranged to pay $380,000 to her own accuser, who appeared as Argento’s son in her 2004 film The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things. Argento denied the reports in a statement on Tuesday, saying she “never had any sexual relationship with Bennett” and was “deeply shocked and hurt by having read news that is absolutely false”. Argento went on to claim that her late partner, the chef Anthony Bourdain, “insisted the matter be handled privately” and paid Bennett to alleviate what she called his “severe economic problems”. “We decided to deal compassionately with Bennett’s demand for help and give it to him,” Argento added. “Anthony personally undertook to help Bennett economically, upon the condition that we would no longer suffer any further intrusions in our life.” Asia Argento in 2017. Photograph: Lenny/IPA/Rex/Shutterstock On Wednesday, TMZ released photos and text messages between Argento and a friend that appear to contradict her claims that their relationship was not of a sexual nature. In one image, the pair can be seen lying in a bed together topless. In the text messages, Argento writes: “I had sex with him it felt weird. I didn’t know he was a minor until the shakedown letter,” an apparent reference to the notice of intent to sue sent by Bennett’s lawyers to Argento in November. In another text obtained by the site, Argento wrote, “The public knows nothing, only what NYT wrote. Which is one sided. The shakedown letter. The horny kid jumped me.” Sign up to receive the top US stories every morning Bennett continued in his statement: “I was underage when the event took place and I tried to seek justice in a way that made sense to me at the time because I was not ready to deal with the ramifications of my story becoming public. At the time I believed there was still a stigma to being in the situation as a male in our society. I didn’t think that people would understand the event that took place from the eyes of a teenage boy. “I have had to overcome many adversities in my life, and this is another that I will deal with, in time,” continued Bennett, who in the notice of intent to sue attributed a steep drop in both income and mental health to the trauma he experienced after the alleged incident. “I would like to move past this event in my life, and today I choose to move forward, no longer in silence.” The Los Angeles county sheriff’s department has said investigators will seek to talk to Bennett or his representatives about the alleged incident.