“I thought he was going to kill me,” Effie said during the press conference, adding that Hammer “then left with no concern for my well being” after the alleged assault. “I have come to understand that the immense mental hold he had over me was very damaging on many levels.” “On April 24, 2017, Armie Hammer violently raped me for over four hours in Los Angeles,” Effie said. “During which he repeatedly slapped my head against a wall bruising my face. He also committed other acts of violence against me to which I did not consent.”
Effie, who said she met Hammer in 2016 when she was 20 and is now 24 and living in Europe, says she had an on-again, off-again relationship with Hammer between 2016 and 2020. Effie continued, “My hope in speaking out about the abuse I endured at the hands of Armie Hammer is that he will be held accountable. I feel immense guilt for not speaking out sooner, because I feel that I might have been able to save others from becoming victims. By speaking out today, I hope to prevent others from falling victim to him in the future. I want other survivors of sexual assault around the world to feel empowered and know that they are heard, believed, understood, supported, and loved.” Allred added in her own statement, “We do think it is important that an investigation of these serious allegations is conducted. We look forward to learning if Mr. Hammer, rather than his representatives, will be willing to assist investigators in their search for the truth. Hammer has been at the center of a social media controversy for much of 2021 after alleged leaked messages surfaced earlier this year detailing the actor’s sex life. The headlines around Hammer led him to exit two high profile projects: the Lionsgate action comedy “Shotgun Wedding” with Jennifer Lopez and the Paramount+ making-of-“The Godfather” series “The Offer.” Hammer was then dropped by his agency, WME. After Hammer departed “Shotgun Wedding,” he issued a statement about the scandal involving him allegedly sending social media messages to various women about his sexual fantasies. The actor’s statement read: “I’m not responding to these bullshit claims but in light of the vicious and spurious online attacks against me, I cannot in good conscience now leave my children for four months to shoot a film in the Dominican Republic. Lionsgate is supporting me in this and I’m grateful to them for that.”
A statement provided to IndieWire by Hammer’s attorney Andrew B. Brettler of Lavely & Singer in the aftermath of Effie’s allgeation reads: Allred responded to Hammer’s team’s response by writing, ” “I challenge Armie Hammer to present all, not some, of his communications with Effie to the Los Angeles Police Department and answer all of their questions directly rather than through his lawyers.” “It was never Mr. Hammer’s intention to embarrass or expose [Effie’s] fetishes or kinky sexual desires, but she has now escalated this matter to another level by hiring a civil lawyer to host a public press conference. With the truth on his side, Mr. Hammer welcomes the opportunity to set the record straight.“From day one, Mr. Hammer has maintained that all of his interactions with [Effie] — and every other sexual partner of his for that matter — have been completely consensual, discussed and agreed upon in advance, and mutually participatory. [Effie’s] attention seeking and ill-advised legal bid will only make it more difficult for real victims of sexual violence to get the justice they deserve.” Additional reporting by Christian Blauvelt. Hammer’s statement originally included the full name of the accuser. At the request of the accuser, her full name has been removed.
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