Actor Armie Hammer faces rape allegations

Washington: A woman who claimed to be actor Armie Hammer’s former beau has accused the Hollywood actor of violent rape and physical abuse, during their on-and-off four-year relationship that ended in 2020.

During a virtual press conference with attorney Gloria Allred, a woman who identified herself as Effie said she was in a romantic relationship with Hammer, who was married to TV personality Elizabeth Chambers at the time.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Hammer is a suspect in a sexual assault case that was opened on February 3.

The girl who had not disclosed her full legal name publically has introduced herself as a 24-year-old woman who lives in Europe. While narrating the incident, she said: “On April 24, 2017, Armie Hammer violently raped me for over four hours in Los Angeles.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter the girl also revealed that during the time of the alleged rape, the ‘Mine’ actor repeatedly slammed her head against a wall resulting in bruises to her face, and further committed other acts of violence against her, to which she did not consent.

The latter also added that the star hit her feet with a riding crop during the intercourse.

“During those four hours, I tried to get away but he wouldn’t let me. I thought he was going to kill me. Then [he] left with no concern for my well-being,” said Effie.

The woman explained that she met the 34-year-old star in 2016, over Facebook when she was 20 years old. She then continued to say that she fell in love with him instantly and they entered into an on-and-off relationship between 2016 to 2020.

“He abused me mentally, emotionally and sexually,” said Effie of the relationship.

On the other hand, Hammer denied the claims. His lawyer, Andrew Brettler, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter that “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.”

The ‘Free Fire’ actor’s lawyer also made some text messages public that showed a conversation between Hammer and Effie, saying it is “one of the hundreds” Effie has sent to Hammer, in which the actor had texted, “I am not going to be able to engage in you in that specific way right now. It never ends well. We can talk and be friends, but I can’t do that.”

Ever since the screenshots claiming unverified messages between Hammer and multiple women started floating on the internet in January from the social media accounts of Effie, the actor’s legal team has maintained to clarify that all sexual relationships were “completely consensual.”

Effie’s lawyer Allred told The Hollywood Reporter that her client was “very upset”. “Even if a sexual partner agrees to certain sexual activity, she still has a right at any point to withdraw her consent. If she does withdraw her consent, he is legally and morally obligated to stop. If he does not stop, he is then at risk of committing a crime against her,” Allred said.

According to Allred, her client has been contacted by many others who allege that they have also been victimized by Hammer during their sexual relationships with him, to which Effie decided to speak out in order to warn women of Hammer’s alleged abuse.