Asia Argento Says She Is ‘Seeking Substantial Damages’ From Rose McGowan for ‘Deception’ and ‘Libel’
One day after threatening “immediate legal action” against Rose McGowan, Asia Argento said Tuesday that she’s now seeking “substantial damages for deception, fraud, coercion and libel” from her former friend and fellow Harvey Weinstein accuser.
“To @rosemcgowan. The 24hr deadline given to retract your recent false statements about me has now passed,” Argento tweeted on Tuesday. “I must inform you & @raindovemodel that I’ve instructed Mishcon de Reya to seek substantial damages for deception, fraud, coercion and libel. You will hear from them shortly.”
On Monday, Argento demanded in a tweet that McGowan retract the contents of an August 27 statement about sexual misconduct accusations lodged against Argento.
Argento is incensed about a lengthy declaration issued by McGowan, distancing herself after Argento was accused of sexually assaulting a former male co-star named Jimmy Bennett.
In her statement, McGowan said that her partner, model Rain Dove, gave the LAPD text messages between Argento and Dove, in which Argento acknowledged having had sex with actor Bennett despite a public denial of sexual contact with the then-17-year-old actor in a Marina del Rey hotel room in 2013. Dove is also mentioned in Argento’s new tweet.
“Its sad to lose a friend connection, but whats even more sad is what happened to Jimmy Bennet[t],” McGowan wrote. “There absolutely should be no leeway or tolerance for sexual assault.”
See Video: Rose McGowan Says Accusation Against Asia Argento Makes Her 'Sick' to Her Stomach
A little over a week ago, Argento zeroed in one particular aspect of McGowan’s statement she seemed to dispute: “Rain also shared that Asia had stated that she’d been receiving unsolicited nudes of Jimmy since he had been 12.”
Argento tweeted that Rain Dove had revised their own account to clarify that Argento said she had been receiving nude photos from Bennett since he was 17, not 12. Citing “my mistake in interpreting the texts,” Dove added, “Still underage nudes received.”
Argento did not address in her tweets McGowan’s primary concern that Argento had received nudes from an underage boy: “Asia mentioned in these texts that she didn’t take any action on those images. No reporting to authorities, to the parents, or blocking of Jimmy’s social media. Not even a simple message ‘Don’t send me these images. They are inappropriate.'”
A spokesperson for Mishcon de Reya LLP confirmed to TheWrap that they had been instructed on the matter.
A rep for McGowan did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Dove was not immediately available for comment.
See Argento’s tweet below.
To @rosemcgowan. The 24hr deadline given to retract your recent false statements about me has now passed. I must inform you & @raindovemodel that I’ve instructed Mishcon de Reya to seek substantial damages for deception, fraud, coercion and libel. You will hear from them shortly.
— Asia Argento (@AsiaArgento) September 18, 2018
Read original story Asia Argento Says She Is ‘Seeking Substantial Damages’ From Rose McGowan for ‘Deception’ and ‘Libel’ At TheWrap
