Asia Argento Is Not Facing Sexual Abuse Investigation

By Gene Maddaus

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Actress Asia Argento is not currently being investigated for the alleged sexual abuse of James Bennett, but detectives will reach out to Bennett about his claim, a a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson confirmed to Variety on Monday.

The New York Times reported on Sunday evening that Argento had agreed to pay Bennett $380,000 to settle claims that she had sex with him at a Marina del Rey hotel when he was 17.

A spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Department said the agency first learned of the allegation from the Times report, and would try to contact Bennett.

“There’s no investigation at this point,” said Deputy Kimberly Alexander. “They’re going to exhaust all avenues since the information has come to light, but it’s not under investigation at this time.”

Argento was one of the key early accusers of Harvey Weinstein. She also gave a rousing speech at the Cannes Film Festival in May, in which she put other abusers on notice that a reckoning was coming.

“For behavior that does not belong in this industry, does not belong in any industry or any workplace. You know who you are,” she said. “You do not belong in this industry. But most importantly, we know who you are, and we’re not going to allow you to get away with it any longer.”