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 Elkan Abramowitz, who represented Allen at the time of the
original investigation into abuse two decades ago, told NBC News
that the "timing is suspect," and linked the accusations to
Allen's recent Golden Globes life achievement award.
"Nothing's happened, they haven't had any relationship for the
last 20 years. So all of a sudden we're seeing these allegations
surface again, and one has to wonder why," Abramowitz told NBC's
"Today" show.
"He is innocent," he said. "The case is over — there is no
case."
The campaign for Allen comes as the 6,000-plus members of the
Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences prepare to vote for
the Oscars next week, ahead of the March 2 ceremony. Allen's
film "Blue Jasmine" has three nominations, including best
original screenplay for Allen and best actress for Cate
Blanchett, the favorite to win.
Last week, in a letter published by The New York Times, Dylan
Farrow repeated her allegations that Allen sexually assaulted
her in the Connecticut house where she lived with her mother,
Allen's then-girlfriend Mia Farrow. r.reuters.com/ryn56v
Allen was never charged in the case and Connecticut prosecutors
said this week there is no current investigation into the
allegations.
While it is unclear how the controversy might affect the film's
Oscar fortunes, awards handicappers say they can't rule out a
negative impact.
A representative for Sony Pictures Classics, the studio behind
"Blue Jasmine," did not respond to requests for comment.
WAITING FOR ALLEN RESPONSE
Allen will issue his own response to the allegations, a
spokeswoman said on Sunday, but it was not clear when.
Abramowitz has been the most vocal of those to speak out
publicly in defense of Allen. On Monday, an ex-girlfriend of
Allen, Stacey Nelkin, appeared on CNN with host Piers Morgan to
discuss her former relationship with the filmmaker. Nelkin, who
dated Allen when she was 17 and he was 42 after meeting on the
set of his film "Manhattan," said she didn't believe Dylan
Farrow's accusations against Allen.
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 Walters specifically praised Allen's parenting
skills on her ABC morning TV show "The View" on Tuesday, saying the
filmmaker was a "sensitive, loving and caring" father to his two
adopted daughters with wife Soon-Yi Previn.
Abramowitz said Allen's recent recognition in
Hollywood prompted the renewed claims.
"It's a continuation of Mia Farrow's desire to hurt Woody Allen," he
said, adding his recent lifetime achievement award at the Hollywood
Foreign Press Association's Golden Globes "revived the anger she has
toward him".
Representatives for Mia Farrow did not respond to a request for
comment.
Both Mia Farrow and her son, Ronan Farrow, took to Twitter after the
Golden Globes to criticize the tribute to Allen and revive the abuse
allegations.
Dylan Farrow specifically targeted the actors of "Blue Jasmine,"
including Blanchett, and asked how they would feel if it had been
"your child" who was molested.
The accusations from the Farrows, says awards handicapper Tom O'Neil
of Goldderby.com, could be seen as "Oscar war" and "in their battle
against 'Blue Jasmine,' Cate Blanchett could be a casualty of the
war." He said, however, that she probably won't take sides, making
her less vulnerable in her Oscar bid.
Blanchett has spoken once on the issue, telling a reporter at the
Santa Barbara International Film Festival last weekend "it's
obviously been a long and painful situation for the family and I
hope they find some sort of resolution and peace."
(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey in
Washington; editing by Mary Milliken and Ken Wills)
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