Hammer's lawyer called the
allegation "outrageous" and said that all the
actor's sexual relationships were "completely
consensual."
The rape allegation follows claims on social
media in January by several women who accused
the 34-year-old actor of emotional and physical
abuse, and said he shared violent sexual
fantasies. Hammer said at the time that he would
not respond to what he called "vicious online
attacks", but he was dropped by his
representatives and from two Hollywood projects.
On Thursday, a woman who identified herself only
as Effie, told a video news conference that she
had been in a four-year romantic relationship
with the actor, who was married to TV
personality Elizabeth Chambers at the time.
"On April 24, 2017, Armie Hammer violently raped
me for over four hours in Los Angeles, during
which he repeatedly slammed my head against a
wall, bruising my face," Effie, now 24, told
reporters.
"He also committed other acts of violence
against me, to which I did not consent," she
said.
Effie's attorney, Gloria Allred, said the woman
had given evidence to police.
A Los Angeles Police Department spokesman said
that "Armie Hammer is the named suspect in an
alleged sexual assault investigation" that was
opened on Feb. 3, 2021.
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Hammer's lawyer, Andrew
Brettler, said in a statement that the woman's
own correspondence with his client "undermines
and refutes her outrageous allegations."
"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," the statement added.
Brettler said that as recently as July 2020, the
accuser had sent graphic text messages to Hammer
detailing her sexual desires.
Effie, who lives in Europe, said she met Hammer
on Facebook in 2016 and fell in love with him.
After the alleged rape, she said she had
suffered traumatic flashbacks and had felt
suicidal. She said she felt guilty about not
speaking out sooner and hoped Hammer would "be
held accountable."
Hammer and Chambers split up in July 2020 after
10 years of marriage.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant and Lisa Richwine;
Editing by Daniel Wallis)
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