Actor Armie Hammer has been accused of rape by a woman identified as Effie. The woman, who held a press conference on Thursday with her attorney Gloria Allred, said that the alleged sexual assault took place in 2017, during which the actor "violently raped [her] for over four hours in Los Angeles," and that she thought Hammer was going to kill her.
As IndieWire reported, Effie indicated that she had met Hammer in 2016 when she was 20, and the two engaged in an on-again, off-again relationship with him until 2020.
"On April 24, 2017, Armie Hammer violently raped me for over four hours in Los Angeles," Effie said during the press conference, "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."
"I thought that he was going to kill me," she said, adding that he then left "with no concern for my well-being . . . I have come to understand that the immense mental hold he had over me was very damaging on many levels."
Allred said, "We look forward to learning if Mr. Hammer, rather than his representatives, will be willing to assist investigators in their search for the truth."
In January, a social media account called House of Effie posted screengrabs of sexual text messages allegedly sent by Hammer between 2016 and 2020. Some of the fantasies described in the screenshots are graphic, including one in which Hammer said he wanted to "bite pieces off of" the recipient. In another, he said, "I am 100% a cannibal. I want to eat you. F**k. That's scary to admit. I've never admitted that before."
Allred did not comment on whether her client was behind the social media page.
The salacious headlines about Hammer being a cannibal wrote themselves, and eventually the actor dropped out of two projects — "The Offer," a Paramount+ series about the making of "The Godfather," and "Shotgun Wedding," a comedy with Jennifer Lopez. Hammer was then dropped by WME, his agency.
Hammer issued a statement at the time: "I'm not responding to these bulls**t 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."
On Thursday, his attorney, Andrew B. Brettler of Lavely & Singer, issued an additional statement to Variety.
[Effie's] own correspondence with Mr. Hammer undermines and refutes her outrageous allegations. As recently as July 18, 2020, [Effie] sent graphic texts to Mr. Hammer telling him what she wanted him to do to her. Mr. Hammer responded, making it clear that he did not want to maintain that type of relationship with her.
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.
Brettler added that all of Hammer's interactions with his sexual partners 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."
Variety reported that Hammer is being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department. "We can confirm that Armie Hammer is the main suspect in an alleged sexual assault investigation that was initiated Feb. 3 of this year," a spokesperson for the LAPD told the publication.
Effie hopes that Hammer will finally be held accountable for his actions.
"I feel immense guilt for not speaking out sooner, because I feel that I might have been able to save others from becoming victims," she said. "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."
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