A woman has filed a lawsuit against Warren Beatty, alleging that the actor coerced her into having sex with him in 1973 when she was either 14 or 15 years old.
via Variety:
Kristina Charlotte Hirsch filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday. The suit does not cite Beatty by name, but identifies the defendant as having been nominated for an Academy Award for his role as Clyde in “Bonnie and Clyde” — a clear reference to Beatty.
Hirsch, who now lives in Louisiana, alleges that Beatty met her on a movie set, where he paid “undue attention” to her, commented on her looks and gave her his phone number. She alleges that Beatty called her numerous times in 1973, invited her to the hotel where he was living and brought her on car rides.
Representatives for Beatty did not respond to requests for comment.
The suit also states that Beatty — who would have been about 35 at the time — offered to help her with her homework and commented to her several times about losing her virginity.
According to the suit, the defendant “used his position and status as an adult and a Hollywood movie star to coerce sexual contact with Plaintiff on multiple occasions, including oral sex, simulated sex and finally coerced sexual intercourse with the minor child.”
The suit states that Hirsch was “initially thrilled” by the attention and believed she was in a romantic relationship with him.
Hirsch is seeking compensation for psychological, mental and emotional distress. The suit alleges that she has had difficulty interacting with people in positions of authority as a result of the sexual abuse, and has suffered “issues with trust and control.”
Hirsch filed the suit under a 2019 California law that opened a three-year “lookback window” for claims of child sexual abuse that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations. That window expires on Jan. 1, 2023.
Hirsch is represented by Michael Reck and Michael Finnegan of the law firm of Jeff Anderson & Associates. The firm has handled numerous child sex abuse cases involving the Catholic Church and the Boy Scouts of America.
We wonder what took her so long to file the suit.
