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<ul class="summary-list"><li>A string of federal lawsuits out of Manhattan accuse <keyword id="20236265" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="combs" source="keywords">Combs</keyword> of sexual attacks dating back to 1995.</li><li>One alleges Combs orally raped a worker for rival brand <keyword id="23786412" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ecko" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Ecko" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Ecko">Ecko</keyword> at the <keyword id="20749648" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Macys" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Macy's" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Macy's">Macy's</keyword> flagship store in 2008.</li></ul>Macy's covered up a violent 2008 sexual attack by Sean "Diddy" Combs at its flagship <keyword id="23786411" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Herald-Square" source="keywords">Herald Square</keyword>, Manhattan store to protect a "multi-million-dollar" deal with Combs' clothing brand, <keyword id="23786413" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sean-John" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Sean John" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Sean John">Sean John</keyword>, a new lawsuit alleges. The worldwide department store chain was named as a defendant in one of at least <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sean-combs-diddy-new-allegations-lawsuits-2024-10">six federal lawsuits</a>, all alleging sexual assaults, filed against the hip-hop entrepreneur in Manhattan Monday. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/25204963-combs-lawsuit-macys-attack-complaint-20241014">The 19-page lawsuit</a> is one of two filed Monday that names an outside company as a defendant beyond <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sean-combs-diddy-business-income-dried-up-ciroc-music-deleon-2024-10">the companies belonging to Combs</a>. It was filed on behalf of a "John Doe" who now lives in Ohio. The plaintiff alleges that he was orally raped by Combs while working in the stockroom of the flagship store. The plaintiff said he worked for Ecko, a rival clothing company to Combs' Sean John brand that was also carried by Macy's. On the day of the attack, Combs entered into the stockroom with three armed bodyguards, the lawsuit says. One or more of the guards struck him — he may have been pistol-whipped, he alleges — causing him to fall to his hands and knees, the lawsuit said. The plaintiff says in the lawsuit that one or more of the bodyguards threatened to kill him. The plaintiff said Combs demanded he perform oral sex on him, calling him by the name of the company he worked for, "Ecko." Combs proceeded to orally rape the plaintiff in what was described as a two-minute attack, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that after the assault, Combs grabbed armfuls of Sean John merchandise from the stockroom, went out onto the retail floor, and "began passing out merchandise to an adoring crowd, as if nothing had happened." The lawsuit accuses Macy's of quickly covering up the incident. <div type="image" title="Sean Combs, Cassie Ventura, and Terry Lundgren stand in front of a Macy's backdrop." height="2191" width="3000" msid="114232336" hostid="261"></div>The plaintiff reported it the same day to company security, but there was no follow-up, and he was soon barred from the store, the lawsuit alleges. "Approximately three weeks later, <keyword id="23786414" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Terry-Lundgren" source="keywords">Terry Lundgren</keyword>, CEO of Macy's, pressured Ecko executives to fire plaintiff because Macy's had just signed a multi-million-dollar deal with Sean John Clothing," the suit says. The plaintiff was eventually fired and told by Ecko that he could no longer live in his company-paid apartment in the city, the lawsuit says. Ecko was not named as a defendant in the lawsuit. The company did not immediately return requests for comment from Business Insider after normal business hours on Monday. The plaintiff "believes that the report of the assault was destroyed or otherwise purged from Macy's records, and no action was ever taken as a result of the report." He still "fears for his life," the lawsuit says. Macy's and Lundgren did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the allegations. Attorneys for Combs released a statement Monday, again denying that the artist ever committed sexual assault. They called the lawsuits filed Monday an attempt to "garner publicity." "Mr. Combs and his legal team have full confidence in the facts, their legal defenses, and the integrity of the judicial process," the lawyers said. "In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs has never sexually assaulted anyone—adult or minor, man or woman." The lawsuits against Combs were filed in Manhattan by the Texas-based <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.txattorneys.com/">Buzbee Law Firm</a>, co-counsel <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://avalaw.com/">AVA Law Group</a>, and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.curislaw.com/">Curis Law.</a> The Sean John brand, founded in 1998, appears now to be defunct. Its Instagram page is blank, and its website is broken. At one point, it had expanded to include clothing, furniture, fragrance, and footwear, and by 2010, the brand reported retail sales of over $525 million. Starting in 2011, the company's lucrative sportswear line — which it said made up about half of its sales — was exclusively sold at Macy's. Five of the retailer's locations included Sean John shops, where the company's goods were marketed and sold in prime locations, and Combs appeared in commercials for the store. For years, it was among the department chain's top-selling men's brands, <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://wwd.com/menswear-news/mens-retail-business/sean-combs-puffy-global-brands-sean-john-10714373/">WWD reported</a>. "I have always admired Sean's sense of fashion, as well as his business acumen. He has a keen insight into the needs of a style-conscious, contemporary man," Lundgren <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.macysinc.com/newsroom/news/news-details/2010/Sean-John-Sportswear-to-be-Sold-Exclusively-at-Macys-05-05-2010/default.aspx">said</a> of Combs when the exclusivity deal was announced in 2010 — two years after the alleged <a target="_blank" href="http://assault.In">assault.</a> "He was the first person to believe in me," the hip-hop star said of Lundgren, returning the compliment in a 2012 <a target="_blank" class="c-link" href="https://www.barrons.com/articles/SB50001424052748704723404578199501748850748">Barron's article</a>. "He was like a godfather," Combs said. In 2016, Combs sold a majority stake in the brand for $70 million, but under new management, the brand floundered and eventually filed for bankruptcy. In 2021, Combs purchased the business back for $7.55 million. Sean John continued to be sold at Macy's until last fall, though a spokesperson did not comment on whether the line was pulled due to the mounting accusations against Combs. Combs remains in jail awaiting a sex-trafficking trial scheduled for May 5. Correction: October 21, 2024 — Due to an error during editing, an earlier version of this story misstated Sean Jean's revenue. The brand, as a whole, reported over $525 million in retail sales in 2010, not specifically at Macy's.

Macy's accused in lawsuit of covering up 2008 sexual attack by Sean 'Diddy' Combs in Herald Square flagship store

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Sean "Diddy" Combs has been accused of sexual assault in new lawsuits.</li><li>They are the start of a wave of more than 100 lawsuits expected to come over the next month.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sean-combs-diddy-business-income-dried-up-ciroc-music-deleon-2024-10">Sean "Diddy" Combs</a> has been accused of rape, molesting a teenage boy, and sexual assault in six new lawsuits filed against the embattled hip-hop music mogul.The lawsuits, filed Monday in Manhattan federal court, are part of a larger wave of complaints that Combs is expected to face. Texas-based attorney Tony Buzbee said in September that his firm is representing 120 accusers who he says will bring <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/timeline-sean-diddy-combs-sexual-misconduct-timeline-2024-2">lawsuits against Combs</a>.Buzbee said the cases will also include <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/famous-people-sexual-assault-lawsuits-against-sean-diddy-combs-2024-4">allegations against other celebrities</a>. The lawsuits will detail alleged incidents that took place between 1991 and 2024 and will come from men, women, and minors at the time, he said during a September press conference."The claims we intend to bring will include the following: violent sexual assault or rape, sexual abuse, facilitated sex with a controlled substance, false imprisonment, compelling prostitution, sexual misconduct, dissemination of video recordings, and sexual abuse of minors," Buzbee said at the time.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sean-diddy-combs-bond-court-jail-trial-2024-9">Combs, who was indicted</a> by a Manhattan grand jury in September on federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and transportation for the purposes of prostitution, already faced a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/timeline-sean-diddy-combs-sexual-misconduct-timeline-2024-2">dozen civil lawsuits</a> accusing him of sexual misconduct.The rapper and entrepreneur has vehemently denied the charges and any claims accusing him of sexual assault or misconduct.Combs' legal troubles began last November when his former girlfriend, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sean-combs-diddy-sex-trafficking-rape-abuse-lawsuit-cassie-venutura-2023-11">Cassandra Ventura</a>, sued him, accusing him of abuse and rape. The two settled, and Combs at first denied wrongdoing, though he later apologized for his behavior when footage of him physically abusing her at a California hotel came to light.Following Ventura's lawsuit, other women came forward, accusing Combs in additional lawsuits of a slew of actions, including drugging and rape.The federal investigation into Combs had been brewing at the time. The investigation became public in March, when agents from the Department of Homeland Security <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/p-diddy-miami-mansion-on-star-island-paid-off-mortgage-2024-9">raided Diddy's homes</a> in Los Angeles and Miami. Combs was arrested in September on three felony charges.Prosecutors said in the indictment against Combs that he and his associates "wielded the power and prestige" of Combs' success to "intimidate, threaten, and lure female victims" into his orbit "often under the pretense of a romantic relationship."At the center of the indictment are accusations that Combs orchestrated "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sean-diddy-combs-indictment-allegations-freak-off-sex-performances-2024-9">Freak Offs</a>," which prosecutors describe in court papers as "elaborate and produced sex performances that Combs arranged, directed, masturbated during, and often electronically recorded."Prosecutors also allege he assaulted women by "striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects at, and kicking them."Combs remains locked up at a notorious Brooklyn jail after being twice denied his request to be released on a $50 million bond package. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/diddy-sbf-dorm-style-room-brooklyn-jail-crypto-ftx-2024-9">Diddy was placed in the same dormitory as Sam Bankman-Fried</a>, who's serving 25 years for fraud after stealing $8 billion from customers of his FTX crypto exchange. Combs' lawyers didn't immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider Monday afternoon.This is a breaking news story and will be updated.

Diddy hit with a fresh set of sex assault allegations as a new wave of lawsuits kicks off

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Armie Hammer said on Instagram that he had to sell his pickup truck.</li><li>He said he couldn't afford gas after moving back to LA.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/where-is-armie-hammer-now-2024-4">Armie Hammer</a> said he had to sell his pickup truck because he couldn't afford gas, three years after his reputation was tarnished by allegations of sexual assault and cannibalism.Hammer was a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/armie-hammer-movie-career-life-scandal-timeline">rising star</a> in the 2010s after starring in popular movies including "Call Me By Your Name." But his reputation tanked in early 2021 when multiple women accused him of abuse and shared explicit messages they said were from the actor, which detailed acts of cannibalism. The messages have not been verified by Business Insider. Hammer called the claims "bullshit" in a statement to Variety in January 2021. He later said he was emotionally abusive to his accusers in an interview with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://airmail.news/issues/2023-2-4/armie-hammer-breaks-his-silence">Air Mail</a> in 2023.The LAPD launched a two-year investigation into <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/armie-hammer-cannibal-dms-controversy-explained">Hammer</a> in March 2021, when one of the accusers, Efrosina Angelova, alleged in a press conference that the actor raped her in 2017. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/armie-hammer-rape-charge-la-district-attorney-drop-case-2023-6">Hammer was never charged</a> and denied the allegation.Since the controversy, Hammer has mostly been living in <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/armie-hammer-once-thought-swimming-out-to-sea-kill-himself-2024-6">the Cayman Islands</a>, but in a new Instagram post shared on Tuesday, Hammer said he returned to LA a couple of weeks ago and moved into a new apartment.With the new move, Hammer said he had to give up his pickup truck, which he bought as a Christmas gift for himself in 2017, because gas in LA is so expensive. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gas-prices-states-lowest-highest-2024-7#california-has-the-highest-average-gas-prices-in-the-us-at-4-794-per-gallon-10">California</a> has the highest gas prices in the US."Since being back in L.A., I have put about four or five hundred dollars worth of gas in it. And I can't afford it. I can't afford the gas anymore," Hammer said. "I've loved this truck intensely."Hammer said he was selling the car at CarMax and had already bought a smaller <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hybrid-car-shopping-plug-in-traditional-what-to-know-2024-6">hybrid car</a> to make up for it."I'm probably gonna put about 10 bucks of gas in it a month," Hammer said.Later in the video, Hammer recalled the many memories he had with the car, such as hospital and camping trips."Here's to new beginnings. It's my birthday tomorrow so August 28th I will be starting my birthday in a new car, in a new apartment, in a new life in Los Angeles," Hammer said.Hammer didn't explain why he moved back to LA, but the actor might be looking to return to the entertainment industry.In June, Hammer said on the "Painful Lessons" podcast that he has written a script with a friend, which he hopes to turn into his next project.<h2 id="94cb4af5-d04a-42ae-9ff4-26986af9c7e4">Hammer hasn't been in a movie in years</h2>Hammer has not been in a movie since 2022's "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/death-on-the-nile-trailer-poriot-gal-gadot-armie-hammer-2020-8">Death on the Nile</a>," which was filmed in 2019. Following the allegations in 2021, Hammer was dropped by his talent agency and publicist and left two movie projects and a TV series.Though Hammer is a descendant of oil tycoon Armand Hammer, the actor said in an episode of the "Club Random with Bill Maher" podcast in July that he is broke and doesn't have any share of the family money."I have come to the place where I understand that there are no free lunches. And anything that you take always has strings," Hammer said. "I would rather go get a job selling timeshares. I'd rather go get a job."Hammer added he couldn't get a work permit in the Cayman Islands.

Disgraced actor Armie Hammer says he can't afford gas after his career tanked following cannibalism and sexual assault allegations        

'The Sandman' writer Neil Gaiman denies sexually assaulting two women. Here's a timeline of the allegations.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Donald Trump showed up for an appeal in the case that found him liable for sexually abusing E. Jean Carroll.</li><li>Friday's arguments focused on whether it was OK for the jury to hear about groping on a plane.</li></ul>Donald Trump actually showed up this time.The 2024 Republican presidential candidate appeared in a Manhattan federal appeals court Friday to watch the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-mimics-harvey-weinstein-arguments-e-jean-carroll-appeal-2024-9">oral arguments in the appeal of a jury verdict</a> finding him liable for sexual abusing and defaming the writer E. Jean Carroll.Much of the arguments — on the 17th floor of a Manhattan federal courthouse — focused on whether sexual assault testimony from one witness in the trial should have been tossed because the incident she alleges took place on an airplane.John Sauer, Trump's lawyer in the Friday arguments, said the jury should have never heard evidence from Jessica Leeds, who <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jessica-leeds-testifies-e-jean-carroll-trial-trump-sexual-assault-2023-5">testified that Trump groped her on a plane in the 1970s</a>.When Trump ran into Leeds a couple of years later, he recalled her as "that cunt from the airplane," Leeds testified.Leeds's allegations weren't part of Carroll's accusations, but the trial judge allowed her testimony because they demonstrated what Carroll's lawyers argued was a pattern of behavior by Trump.But Sauer said the testimony should have been "inadmissible" because the alleged events were under "territorial or maritime jurisdiction" and different rules of evidence applied.The three judges on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals panel hearing the case seemed largely skeptical of the arguments.US Circuit Judge Denny Chin appeared doubtful it would make sense to "order a new trial" based on the arguments."It's very hard to overturn a jury verdict for evidentiary grounds," he said.Carroll's lawyer Roberta Kaplan said there was no "special aircraft jurisdiction" that would have led to the exclusion of Leeds's testimony."It was a crime to grope someone on a plane," she said. "It is a crime to grope someone on a plane."<h2 id="075d33df-4a60-454b-8738-97b78ef8bf89">Trump didn't show up to the trial</h2><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-not-testifying-may-have-hurt-him-e-jean-carroll-2023-5">Trump skipped the trial for the case</a>, which took place in the spring of 2023. The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-liable-rape-e-jean-carroll-jury-verdict-2023-5">jury found him liable for sexually abusing and defaming</a> Carroll and ordered him to pay $5 million in damages.After suffering the court loss, Trump did attend nearly all of a second trial, in January of this year, which <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/e-jean-carroll-trump-trial-defamation-rape-sexual-abuse-2024-1">focused on additional defamation damages</a>.His lead attorney in the January trial, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/e-jean-carroll-judge-bench-slaps-trump-attorney-alina-habba-2024-1">Alina Habba, frequently sparred with the case's judge</a>. Trump himself stood up and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-walks-out-courtroom-e-jean-carroll-defamation-trial-2024-1">walked out of the courtroom</a> in the middle of closing arguments from Carroll's lawyer Roberta Kaplan.The jury in the second trial <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-disrespect-e-jean-carroll-trial-turned-jury-against-him-2024-1">ordered the former president to pay Carroll another $83 million in damages</a> for repeatedly calling her a liar and disparaging her appearance while denying the sexual assault.Carroll attended every day of both trials, as well as Friday's arguments. Kaplan declined to comment after the hearing.The appeal's oral arguments were held in a courthouse across the street from where the two Carroll v. Trump trials took place.Trump brought much of his expansive legal team with him Friday. In addition to Sauer, who made the oral arguments, he had attorneys Todd Blanche, Emil Bove, and Habba in tow. Two advisors, Boris Epshteyn and Joshua Katz, hung back at the same large table in the courtroom well.<div type="image" title="donald trump at a press conference" height="1666" width="2500" msid="113134697" hostid="261" sizebytes="141890"></div>Carroll brought her sexual abuse lawsuit against Trump using the Adult Survivor's Act, a New York law passed in the wake of the #MeToo movement that opened a window allowing for civil sexual misconduct claims that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations.Carroll alleged that, in the mid-1990s, Trump cornered her in a dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman's dressing room in Manhattan, a short walk from Trump Tower. In <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/e-jean-carroll-witness-stand-humor-trump-rape-trial-2023-5">harrowing testimony</a> for both trials, she described how his "curved finger" penetrated her without her consent. Two of Carroll's friends testified she told her about the incident shortly after it took place.Trump's lawyers have argued the verdict in the first trial should be tossed. In an appeal brief, lawyers Blanche and Bove — who also represent Trump in a slew of other cases — borrowed arguments from <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvey-weinstein-conviction-for-sex-crimes-overturned-2024-4">Harvey Weinstein's successful appeal</a> in his New York criminal case, who also argued accusers not part of the case shouldn't have been allowed to testify.Sauer argued Trump's case was "a textbook example" of a case wrongly propped up by propensity evidence rather than Trump's actual conduct."It's a quintessential he-said-she-said case," he said.The judges didn't appear to be convinced. US Circuit Court Judge Susan Carney mused about whether the verdict could stand when considering the "outcry witnesses" to who Carroll disclosed her story.Legal experts — including Weinstein's own lawyers — previously told BI the argument has a slim chance of success. Federal courtroom rules are more lenient when it comes to the testimony of "propensity witnesses" who help establish a pattern of behavior, particularly when it comes to civil cases."In these civil cases, you can certainly show a pattern, and that's basically what's happening, especially when you have a perpetrator with multiple alleged victims," Marci Hamilton, a University of Pennsylvania professor who helped write the Adult Survivors Act, told BI before Friday's arguments.On Friday, Kaplan emphasized that the ordinary rules were followed during the trial"Despite the prominence of this case, and the personalities involved, this is really about a routine application of federal rules of evidence," she said.<div type="image" title="E jean Carroll and her lawyer roberta kaplan leaving court" height="2992" width="4487" msid="113134700" hostid="261" sizebytes="915976"></div>She also jabbed at <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/carroll-lawyer-threatens-sanctions-trump-alina-habba-judge-mentor-2024-1">Habba's earlier claims</a> that she may have some kind of conflict of interest with the trial judge, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan."Just for the record, we are not related and he is not my mentor," she said.Trump is racing to clear away <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-key-cases-civil-criminal-investigations-lawsuits-updates-2022-7">many of his legal problems</a> ahead of the November presidential election, where is is facing off against Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.Earlier this year, Sauer won a resounding victory before the US Supreme Court in one of Trump's criminal cases. The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/supreme-court-trump-immunity-january-6-election-ruling-decision-2024-5">court recognized far-reaching presidential immunity</a> that delivered a siginificant setback to the Washington, DC-based criminal case aginst Trump over his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.Trump didn't show up to those oral arguments, either, in part because he was in another Manhattan courtroom during a trial for a different criminal case, where <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-hush-money-trial-verdict-2024-5">a jury found him guilty</a> of falsifying business documents as part of a different election interference scheme in 2016.Blanche and Bove, who represent part of his team in the Manhattan criminal case, have cited the US Supreme Court ruling to fight the verdict in that case as well. New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, who presided over the trial, is expected to decide Friday whether he will once again delay Trump's sentencing, which is scheduled for September 18.Presidential immunity played a role in earlier court fights in the Carroll case. A Second Circuit panel previously ruled that Trump waived any presidential immunity protections and could not argue that they applied as he disparaged Carroll from the White House.In an interview with BI after the verdict in her first trial last year, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/e-jean-carroll-advice-sue-abusers-following-trump-trial-win-2023-5">Carroll said she heard from hundreds of readers</a> that her court verdicts gave them home that they could hold their own abusers accountable."They think, 'Well, if the former President of the United States can be held liable for sexual abuse, well then maybe my stepfather, maybe my old boss, maybe my ex-boyfriend, maybe that man who lived down the street — maybe I can hold them accountable for ruining my life,'" Carroll told BI.

Trump's lawyers say an accuser's sexual assault testimony should have been tossed because the incident was aboard an airplane

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Trump accuser Jessica Leeds told reporters at Trump Tower Monday that "he's a sexual predator."</li><li>Her remarks came in response to Trump saying that he'd never have "chosen" her to assault.</li></ul>At a press conference at Trump Tower in Manhattan on Friday, former President Donald Trump wanted the world to know he would never have sexually assaulted <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jessica-leeds-testifies-e-jean-carroll-trial-trump-sexual-assault-2023-5">Jessica Leeds</a>."She would not have been the chosen one," he told reporters, implying her appearance wasn't up to his standards.On Monday, Leeds held a press conference of her own to confront him on that insult. With Trump Tower as her backdrop, she called the GOP presidential candidate "a sexual predator" and said she is deciding whether to sue him."He assaulted me 50 years ago and he continues to attack me today," she told a group of reporters gathered on Fifth Avenue. She called Trump's "chosen one" comments "really bizarre.""I must admit I did laugh," she said of hearing of the remark. "It's a little spooky and a little difficult to process. He does seem to be kind of obsessed. But here I am."Leeds accuses Trump of groping her while he sat next to her in the first-class cabin on a flight in 1979.She <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/13/us/politics/donald-trump-women.html">first publicly aired her accusation in 2016, </a>during the presidential campaign, telling The New York Times that Trump groped her as they sat side by side in the first-class cabin of a New York-bound flight.Leeds told her story in greatest detail in the spring of 2023, on the witness stand in federal court in Manhattan, as part of the sexual abuse and defamation case brought by the writer <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-mimics-harvey-weinstein-arguments-e-jean-carroll-appeal-2024-9">E. Jean Carroll</a>."He was grabbing my breasts," she testified at Carroll's trial. "It's like he had 40 zillion hands, and it was a tussling match between the two of us."Leeds, then a businesswoman, saw Trump again about two years later at a charity fundraiser, she testified."He said, 'I remember you. You're that cunt from the airplane,'" Leeds told the Carroll jury. "Well, it was like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over my head."On Friday, Trump's lawyers claimed that Leeds's testimony should never have been allowed because of the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-appeal-e-jean-carroll-sexual-abuse-case-plane-law-2024-9">particular jurisdictional laws around airplanes</a>. (The panel of three judges was skeptical.)Soon after the meeting, Trump summoned reporters to Trump Tower, where he disparaged Leeds, Carroll, and a third accuser and trial witness, Natasha Stoynoff, in a press conference after oral arguments in the appeal of Carroll's case.<div type="image" title="Jessica Leeds speaking outside Trump Tower" height="3492" width="5238" msid="113205909" hostid="261" sizebytes="860284"></div>Leeds on Monday gave a brief but no less emphatic version of her story to reporters, saying she was doing so, "because I believe it's important to remind voters.""All of a sudden, this man started grabbing me and trying to kiss me," she recounted of the plane ride. "He had 47 arms like an octopus.""When he decided to put his hand up my skirt, that gave me enough energy to move away from him," she added.At the press conference Monday, Leeds said she first went public with her claims after Trump denied sexually assaulting women during a presidential debate, wanting to set the record straight. She urged people not to vote for Trump in the 2024 election."We just cannot allow this person back into the White House," she said Monday.Carroll's 2023 defamation and sexual abuse jury found Trump liable for sexually abusing and defaming Carroll, awarding her $5 million in damages. A second jury, in January of this year, ordered Trump to pay an additional $83 million to Carroll for additional defamation claims.The sexual abuse lawsuit against Trump included only claims from Carroll. But testimony from Leeds and Stoynoff — as well as the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape where Trump brags about grabbing women by the genitals — were permitted as evidence to demonstrate a pattern of behavior from Trump.Carroll's lawsuit alleged that, in the mid-1990s, Trump cornered her in the dressing room of Bergdorf Goodman — a luxury department store a short walk from Trump Tower — and sexually assaulted her.She brought her sexual abuse lawsuit under the Adult Survivor's Act, a New York law that briefly opened a window for civil claims that the statute of limitations would otherwise bar.Carroll also brought defamation claims against Trump after he called her a liar by denying her accusations and insulted her appearance, calling her "not my type."The incident on the airplane that Leeds describes did not take place in New York and happened decades ago, making it challenging for her to have brought a sexual abuse lawsuit.But Trump denying her account on Friday may have opened a fresh window for a defamation suit."I'm considering a number of options because of his latest remarks," she told reporters Monday. "But no decision has been made."

Trump airplane-assault accuser Jessica Leeds calls him a 'sexual predator' and says she's deciding whether to sue

<ul class="summary-list"><li>GOP power couple Christian and Bridget Ziegler have been celebrated for their pro-family values.</li><li>But a recent rape allegation against Christian Ziegler undermines the principles they tout.</li></ul>Scathing details of a rape allegation against Christian Ziegler, the Florida GOP chairman who has become an influential figure in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/constitutional-convention-conservatives-republicans-constitution-supreme-court-2022-7">modern conservative movement</a>, clash with the pro-family, Christian values that Ziegler and his Moms for Liberty cofounder wife, Bridget, have been praised for.A heavily <a target="_blank" href="https://flcga.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23-048937__Redacted-2.pdf ">redacted report</a> from the Sarasota Police Department published by the Florida Center for Government Accountability revealed that Ziegler is under an active criminal investigation involving "rape" and a "sexual assault allegation" that occurred on October 2.A search warrant affidavit obtained by the same watchdog group additionally showed that Ziegler and his wife, Bridget Ziegler, cofounder of the conservative "parental rights" group <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moms-for-liberty-plan-to-elect-own-candidates-school-boards-2022-7">Moms for Liberty</a>, had a three-way sexual encounter with the woman accusing the state GOP chairman of rape.The affidavit stated that the woman and Bridget Ziegler both individually told police they had a three-way sexual encounter with Christian Ziegler more than a year before the alleged October incident, according to the watchdog group.The Zieglers made another plan to have sex on October 2, according to the affidavit, but the woman canceled the arrangement after she learned that Bridget Ziegler could not make it, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2023/12/02/florida-gop-chairman-rape-allegation/">The Washington Post</a> reported."Sorry I was mostly in for her," she said in a message, according to the affidavit.Christian Ziegler, however, still showed up at the woman's apartment and raped her, the woman told Sarasota police, according to the Post.Bridget Ziegler's apparent admission of having a three-way sexual encounter with another woman represents a stark contrast with her <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-01-18/what-bridget-ziegler-s-agenda-means-for-lgbtq-youth">crusade</a> to implement Florida's so-called <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fight-over-floridas-dont-say-gay-bill-explained-2022-2">"Don't Say Gay"</a> law that has been expanded to restrict classroom instruction on LGTBQ+ topics for K-12 — a bill that opponents say will only encourage a hostile environment for LGBTQ+ students.Meanwhile, the rape allegation against Christian Ziegler is a profound step away from the "pro-family" values his supporters have celebrated him for.An attorney for Christian Ziegler did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent during the weekend.<h2>A GOP power couple</h2><div type="image" title="Florida GOP chairman Christian Ziegler shakes hand with Donald Trump." height="2080" width="2773" msid="105713438" hostid="261" sizebytes="207340"></div>Republican colleagues have praised the Zieglers for being "principled" conservatives as they've quickly climbed the political ladder in recent years.A few years ago, Christian Ziegler was a little-known Sarasota County commissioner who ran on a platform emphasizing low local taxes and pro-business values. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rick-scott-reconsidering-presidential-run-desantis-struggles-2024-2023-6">Sen. Rick Scott</a>, Florida's then-governor, endorsed Ziegler, describing him as a "life-long principled conservative," according to <a target="_blank" href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/260743-rick-scott-endorses-christian-ziegler-for-sarasota-county-commission/">Florida Politics</a>.A spokesperson for Scott could not provide a statement before the time of this story's publishing.In February 2023, Ziegler was elected chairman of the state Republican Party.John Stemberger, an evangelical leader and president of Florida Family Action, which promotes conservative family values and has led efforts against same-sex marriage, endorsed Ziegler for the position in December 2022."I wholeheartedly endorse Christian Ziegler. He is a pro-life, pro-family and strong social conservative," Stemberger said in a statement that has since been removed from the Florida Family Action website. Business Insider viewed a cached version of the page.A spokesperson for Florida Family Action did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent during the weekend.<h2>A school board mom's rise to prominence</h2>Similarly, Ziegler's wife gained prominence in 2021 for her role in co-founding Moms for Liberty, which began in Florida and has since gained national traction. The organization has been focused on shaping local school boards across the US by supporting conservative candidates who oppose discussions of LGBTQ+ rights, gender and sexuality, critical race theory, and discrimination in schools.The group has also been leading a nationwide crusade to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moms-for-liberty-get-florida-school-to-ban-anne-franks-diary-adaption-2023-4">ban school library books</a> that touch on LGBTQ+ subjects. The organization's influence, however, was recently rebuked by voters in Iowa as only one of 13 candidates endorsed by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/booking-banning-moms-for-liberty-just-got-canceled-us-voters-2023-11">Moms for Liberty</a> won a local election.Bridget Ziegler left the organization in late 2021. Still, she was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to a seat on the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ron-desantis-control-disney-world-special-district-dont-say-gay-2023-2">Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Board</a>, the special taxing district that manages Disney World. DeSantis also took the unusual step of endorsing her for reelection in 2022 on the Sarasota County School Board."We need (school board members) like Bridget Ziegler, we should have her in every county," DeSantis said at a dinner hosted by the Republican Party of Sarasota in 2021.However, recent allegations against Christian Ziegler have some Republicans stepping back their support for the GOP power couple and questioning their adherence to conservative values.DeSantis told reporters after his debate with California Gov. Gavin Newsom that Christian Zeigler should step down from his position."I don't see how he can continue with that investigation ongoing given the gravity of those situations, and so I think that he should, I think he should step aside," the governor said.Florida Rep. Spencer Roach told the Post that the allegations are "an absolute body blow to the Republican Party" and go against the principles the couple represented."They have held themselves out to be paragons of the Christian conservative family values, a prototype," Roach told the Post. "And I think there's a very heavy sense of betrayal, certainly within the Republican Party."The Zieglers did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent during the weekend.The embattled Florida GOP chairman said in a statement sent to state Republicans on Saturday that he would not resign over the allegations and that he and his wife are being targeted because they are "such loud political voices," <a target="_blank" href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-republican-election-christian-ziegler-rape-investigation-1e4e0cda6aeba725bebd66845aabb235">The Associated Press</a> reported.

Florida GOP chairman's hunt for a threesome results in sexual assault allegation

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Trump's lawyers will fight his 2023 sexual abuse and defamation verdict in Manhattan on Friday.</li><li>They say jurors wrongly heard other accusers, an appeal strategy that worked for Harvey Weinstein.</li></ul>Donald Trump is dispatching a lawyer to yet another courtroom Friday, when he'll try to overturn the Manhattan civil case that concluded the former president is a rapist.The oral arguments will have a distinct, Harvey Weinstein-esque ring to them, judging from the court filings.As the presidential election nears, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-legal-fees-pac-donor-money-personal-cases-2024-2">Trump's legal team</a> has been rushing to erase the Republican candidate's rap sheet and tidy up his lawsuit losses.On Friday, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/supreme-court-trump-immunity-case-january-6-2024-4">lawyer D. John Sauer</a> is scheduled to be in a federal appellate courtroom in Manhattan, where he'll fight the 2023 jury verdict that found the former president <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-liable-rape-e-jean-carroll-jury-verdict-2023-5">liable for defaming and sexually abusing writer E. Jean Carroll</a>. The judge who oversaw the trial later concluded that "<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-rape-e-jean-carroll-sexual-abuse-jury-judge-2023-7">Trump 'raped' her</a> as many people commonly understand the word 'rape.'"Before a three-judge panel for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, Sauer is set to argue that the jury in Carroll's trial should never have heard evidence of other alleged sexual assaults.That evidence included the <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/e-jean-carroll-rape-trial-access-hollywood-grabs-trump-back-2023-5">"Access Hollywood" "grab 'em" tape</a>, and testimony by two women who told the jury Trump sexually attacked them, <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jessica-leeds-testifies-e-jean-carroll-trial-trump-sexual-assault-2023-5">one on a plane</a> in the mid-70s and <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-calls-e-jean-carroll-accusation-a-disgusting-story-2023-5">one at Mar-a-Lago</a> in 2005.It's a strategy that worked on appeal for Weinstein.In April, New York state's top court <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvey-weinstein-conviction-for-sex-crimes-overturned-2024-4">overturned Weinstein's 2020 Manhattan sex crimes conviction</a> in a 4-3 decision that found the trial judge improperly allowed testimony by three accusers who were not part of the indictment. (Weinstein remains jailed in New York pending a retrial; he is separately serving <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvey-weinstein-sentenced-16-years-prison-term-la-rape-conviction-2023-2">a 16-year sentence</a> from a rape conviction in Los Angeles, which he is also appealing.)But the lawyers who won Weinstein's appeal told Business Insider that what worked for their client probably won't work for Trump.That's because Weinstein's jury sat in a New York state criminal courtroom, where long-standing rules of evidence strictly limit so-called prior bad act evidence, the disgraced Hollywood mogul's lawyers noted.Federal court is a very different place, they said — where Trump will likely find the rules of evidence insurmountably stacked against him."It's not apples and apples," explained Barry Kamins, a Weinstein appellate attorney and former Brooklyn-based state Supreme Court justice.Federal trial rules allow evidence of other sexual assaults to be heard at civil sexual assault trials, and have since the mid-'90s, said Kamins, now at <a target="_blank" rel=" nofollow" href="https://aidalalaw.com/new-york-attorneys-barry-kamins/">Aidala, Bertuna &amp; Kamins.</a>"It's funny, but Trump would have been much better off in state court than in federal court, which may be why they brought the case there," Kamins said of Carroll's lawyers.The architect of the law Carroll used to bring a lawsuit against Trump agreed.Marci Hamilton, who runs the sexual abuse victim advocacy group Child USA and helped write the New York law, said civil cases allow presenting witnesses to "show a pattern.""That's basically what's happening — especially when you have a perpetrator with multiple alleged victims," she said. "That pattern makes a big difference in explaining to the jury exactly who this person was that was doing this and how they operated."<h2 id="a6030bb1-d60e-4cec-b214-cadb0df89332">Trump's lawyers are making the Weinstein argument</h2>The appeal is over the first of Carroll's two trials against Trump, in a case she brought under <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-adult-survivors-act-sexual-assault-trump-jean-carroll-2022-11">New York's Adult Survivors Act</a>.The law — passed in the wake of reports about Weinstein's sexual predation and the #MeToo movement — opened a one-year window where accusers could bring sexual misconduct lawsuits that would otherwise be barred by the statute of limitations.Carroll accused Trump of sexually abusing her in the mid-1990s in a Bergdorf Goodmans department store dressing room. The trial included <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/e-jean-carroll-witness-stand-humor-trump-rape-trial-2023-5">searing testimony from Carroll herself</a>, as well as from two friends who testified that she contemporaneously told them Trump sexually assaulted her.US District Judge Lewis Kaplan also permitted testimony from Jessica Leeds and Natasha Stoynoff, whose claims were not part of the lawsuit.Leeds described being forcibly groped on a plane twenty years prior to when Trump was found to have sexually assaulted Carroll. Stoynoff, a journalist, described a similar attack during an interview at Mar-a-Lago. That attack happened in 2005, she testified, twenty years after the Carroll attack and around the time Trump bragged about grabbing women by the genitals on the "Access Hollywood" tape.<div type="image" title="E. Jean Carroll in sunglasses" height="2599" width="3466" msid="113101233" hostid="261" sizebytes="354408"></div>Similar testimony doomed the Weinstein case.New York state's top court ruled the prosecution's prior-bad-act witnesses — the trio who testified Weinstein sexually assaulted them but whose claims weren't part of the criminal indictment — should never have taken the stand.In Trump's appeal brief, his lawyers argue testimony from Leeds and Stoynoff and the "Access Hollywood" tape should have never been allowed in the trial, and they cite a federal rule that is similar to the state-level one that foiled the Weinstein prosecution.The jury particularly should have never heard highly prejudicial testimony from Leeds recalling that Trump told her, "You're that cunt from the airplane," and Stoynoff saying Trump insisted "we're going to have an affair," Blanche and Bove argue.Diane Kiesel, a New York Law School professor and former state trial judge, told Business Insider she believed the evidence met the criteria for being included in the trial. The "Access Hollywood" tape and testimony from Leeds and Stoynoff helped demonstrate Trump's "motive, intent, and opportunity" in his encounter with Carroll, as allowed under federal evidence rules, she said."The fact that you've got E. Jean Carroll saying, 'He did this to me in Bergdorf's.' And he says, 'You can do it at any time to women, they let you do it,'" she said. "And then two other women climb out of the woodwork from 50 years ago and said he did the exact same thing — to me, I think it goes straight to motive, intent."Kaplan, the judge, wrote in his ruling that the evidence was allowed in the trial under different federal rules of procedure as well. Those include rules that allow for testimony about "similar acts" in sexual assault cases."As their testimony shows, Trump engaged in a pattern of abruptly lunging at a woman in a semi-public place, pressing his body against her, kissing her, and sexually touching her without consent, and later categorically denying the allegations and declaring that the accuser was too unattractive for him to have assaulted her," Carroll's lawyers wrote in a brief.<h2 id="9d2a4051-f3b3-4d91-a8e8-951d44875e33">Civil cases like Carroll's have different standards</h2>Friday's courtroom battle will feature Carroll's lawyer <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/carroll-lawyer-threatens-sanctions-trump-alina-habba-judge-mentor-2024-1">Roberta Kaplan</a>, who oversaw the two verdicts in favor of Carroll. In the May 2023 verdict, the jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation and awarded Carroll $5 million in damages. In <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/e-jean-carroll-trump-trial-defamation-rape-sexual-abuse-2024-1">the second trial, earlier this year</a>, a separate jury said <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-trial-verdict-e-jean-carroll-defamation-damages-2024-1">Trump owed Carroll an additional $83 million</a> in defamation damages.Kaplan (who is not related to the trial judge) will face off against Sauer, who recently won a resounding victory for Trump before the US Supreme Court, which <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/supreme-court-trump-immunity-january-6-election-ruling-decision-2024-5">recognized sweeping presidential immunity</a> in the criminal election interference case against him.<div type="image" title="donald trump e jean carroll walking out court" height="2268" width="3024" msid="113101230" hostid="261" sizebytes="1216306"></div>Trump's best chance in Friday's appeal may be to continue to argue that the two other accusers who testified, Leeds and Stroynoff, described assaults that were far too distant in time from Carroll's to have been relevant, said Weinstein attorney Arthur Aidala.While federal rules of evidence for civil sexual assault trials are far more expansive, a judge still can't go too far, he said."It has to be reasonable, and the appellate court can take into consideration the distance in time between the accounts of the plaintiff and these 'propensity' witnesses," he said.Crucially, the jury in Carroll's case didn't need to reach their conclusion that Trump sexually abused Carroll "beyond a reasonable doubt" — the standard in criminal trials.Instead, they needed to find it was "more probable than not" that Trump sexually assaulted Carroll, a standard far more common in civil cases.Even if the appeals court finds that some of the trial testimony shouldn't have reached the jury's ear, the standard gives some room to allow the verdict to be upheld anyway, according to Hamilton, the architect of the Adult Survivors Act."It's not unusual that in a civil case, you'll have the defendants try arguments from the criminal law to try to strengthen their arguments," she said. "But in the end, it's just apples to oranges. They're not the same thing."

Trump will mimic Harvey Weinstein's successful appeal to fight his own sexual assault verdict Friday. It won't be as easy.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Kevin Spacey appeared on NewsNation to share his desire to make a Hollywood comeback.</li><li>It comes after Liam Neeson and Sharon Stone publicly announced their support for him.</li></ul>Kevin Spacey said he still has lots to offer to Hollywood despite facing new allegations of sexual assault.The 64-year-old actor was unofficially blacklisted from Hollywood in 2017 after "Star Trek: Discovery" actor Anthony Rapp <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/anthony-rapp-testifies-against-kevin-spacey-about-unwanted-advance-2022-10">accused Spacey of molesting him in the 1980s, when Rapp was 14.</a>In 2022, Spacey was found <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jury-verdict-kevin-spacey-sexual-abuse-trial-anthony-rapp-2022-10">not liable</a> for battery in a sexual assault lawsuit filed by Rapp.But Rapp's accusations and others that followed resulted in Spacey being written out of his lead role in the Netflix series "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/house-of-cards-shocking-moments-2016-3">House of Cards</a>," while his scenes in the film "All the Money in the World" were reshot with Christopher Plummer instead.In an <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/newsnation/status/1791286837744439806?s=46">interview</a> with NewsNation, the Oscar-winning actor told Chris Cuomo: "I just wanna get back to work. I'm so grateful for the career that I had," he said, adding that he felt like he still had "so much to offer" the industry.Across the past seven years, Spacey has secured less than a handful of acting roles.He has also faced a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/men-who-accused-kevin-spacey-of-sexual-harassment-list-2017-11">number of other allegations</a> of inappropriate behavior, the most recent of which were <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kevin-spacey-denies-new-allegations-inappropriate-sexual-behavior-unmasked-documentary-2024-5">brought to light in the docuseries "Spacey Unmasked."</a>In 2023, a London court found Spacey not guilty of sexually assaulting four men.Spacey's NewsNation interview came after several notable actors, including Liam Neeson and Sharon Stone, came forward to defend Spacey and publicly <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kevin-spacey-liam-neeson-sharon-stone-hollywood-return-2024-5">show their support for his Hollywood comeback.</a>Neeson told <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/05/15/kevin-spacey-return-to-acting-sharon-stone-liam-neeson/">The Telegraph</a> in an interview published on Wednesday that Spacey was "one of our finest artists in the theatre and on camera. Personally speaking, our industry needs him and misses him greatly.""Basic Instinct" actor Stone also echoed Neeson's sentiment: "I can't wait to see Kevin back at work. He is a genius. He is so elegant and fun, generous to a fault and knows more about our craft than most of us ever will."Meanwhile, Stephen Fry told the newspaper that it was wrong "to continue to harass and hound him," while F. Murray Abraham stated that he "vouched for" Spacey "unequivocally."Reacting to the wave of public support, Spacey told Cuomo that it "means a tremendous amount.""It's very gratifying. At the same time, these are people that I've had conversations with who have been really helpful on my path and I'm very, very grateful to them."

Kevin Spacey says he has 'so much to offer' Hollywood amid new allegations of sexual assault

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Liam Neeson and Sharon Stone said they want Kevin Spacey to return to Hollywood.</li><li>Spacey has faced a number of sexual assault allegations in recent years. </li></ul>Liam Neeson and Sharon Stone said they want <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kevin-spacey-denies-new-allegations-inappropriate-sexual-behavior-unmasked-documentary-2024-5">Kevin Spacey</a> to return to Hollywood, seven years after Spacey was unofficially blacklisted when "Star Trek: Discovery" actor Anthony Rapp accused him of sexual assault.Neeson told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/05/15/kevin-spacey-return-to-acting-sharon-stone-liam-neeson/">The Telegraph</a> in an interview published on Wednesday that Spacey is "one of our finest artists in the theatre and on camera. Personally speaking, our industry needs him and misses him greatly."Spacey has faced a number of sexual assault allegations in recent years. In 2017, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-fires-kevin-spacey-house-of-cards-2017-11">Netflix fired Spacey </a>from its political drama, "House of Cards," after Rapp claimed he assaulted him at a party in 1986. In October 2022, a New York jury <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jury-verdict-kevin-spacey-sexual-abuse-trial-anthony-rapp-2022-10">found Spacey not liable</a> for battery in the sexual assault lawsuit Rapp filed against him.Further allegations came in 2017, when 20 members of staff at the Old Vic theater in London, where Spacey was artistic director from 2004 to 2015, accused him of inappropriate behavior. The theater said an independent investigation could not verify the allegations, but in November 2017 its artistic director <a target="_blank" href="https://www.oldvictheatre.com/author/hubby/">publicly apologized</a> to "all those who have come forward."Separately, four men in London accused Spacey of sexual assault, and he faced nine sexual offense charges over incidents alleged to have taken place between 2001 and 2013. In July 2023, Spacey was cleared of the charges against him.In an <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHew_puoePE&amp;ab_channel=DanWoottonOutspoken">interview with Dan Wootton</a> on May 4, Spacey admitted to having behaved inappropriately in the past but denied the specific allegations made against him.He said: "I take full responsibility for my past behavior and my actions. But I cannot and will not take responsibility or apologize to anyone who's made up stuff about me or exaggerated stories about me."Spacey has not worked in Hollywood since the 2017 accusations, which came amid the #MeToo movement that empowered victims to share their stories, and saw Hollywood producer <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/harvey-weinstein-timeline-allegations-accusations-trial-scandal-prison-2023-2">Harvey Weinstein</a> convicted for rape and sexual assault. Neeson, Stone, and British TV star Stephen Fry have come forward to defend Spacey after the documentary <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kevin-spacey-denies-new-allegations-inappropriate-sexual-behavior-unmasked-documentary-2024-5">"Spacey Unmasked" documentary was released in May</a>. The documentary about the sexual assault allegations that Spacey has faced also included fresh claims of assault and harassment from crew members on "House of Cards," as well as actors he worked with at the Old Vic.Neeson told <a target="_blank" href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/05/15/kevin-spacey-return-to-acting-sharon-stone-liam-neeson/">The Telegraph</a>: "I was deeply saddened to learn of these accusations against him. Kevin is a good man and a man of character. He's sensitive, articulate and non-judgmental, with a terrific sense of humor.""Basic Instinct" actor Stone also echoed Neeson's sentiment, and told The Telegraph: "I can't wait to see Kevin back at work. He is a genius. He is so elegant and fun, generous to a fault and knows more about our craft than most of us ever will."The Telegraph wrote that Stone seemingly criticized some of the "aspiring actors" who came forward in the documentary. "It's terrible that they are blaming him for not being able to come to terms with themselves for using him and negotiating with themselves because they didn't get their secret agendas," she said.Fry also told the newspaper that it is wrong "to continue to harass and hound him, to devote a whole documentary to accusations that simply do not add up to crimes … how can that be considered proportionate and justified?"On May 2, Spacey made a statement about the Channel 4 documentary on X. "Each time I have been given the time and a proper forum to defend myself, the allegations have failed under scrutiny and I have been exonerated," he wrote.

Liam Neeson and Sharon Stone say they want Kevin Spacey to return to Hollywood following sexual assault allegations: 'Our industry needs him'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Brooke Shields' daughter said she found out about her mother's alleged sexual assault while watching her documentary.</li><li>"I was learning about things the same time that the world was," Grier Henchy told People.</li></ul><a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/brooke-shields-photos-fascinating-career-from-child-star-to-now-2023-4">Brooke Shields'</a> younger daughter said she found out about her mother's alleged sexual assault when she was watching last year's eye-opening <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pretty-baby-brooke-shields-most-shocking-revelations-2023-3">documentary "Pretty Baby</a>."<a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/brooke-shields-didnt-want-daughter-grier-henchy-modeling-career-2023-6">Grier Henchy</a>, the model and actor's second daughter with her <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/brooke-shields-marriage-chris-henchy-family-teenage-daughters-grier-rowan-2023-4">husband Chris Henchy</a>, told <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://people.com/brooke-shields-younger-daughter-had-no-idea-mom-was-sexually-assaulted-until-pretty-baby-doc-exclusive-8703586">People</a> that she couldn't "get through" the whole documentary after watching her mom emotionally recount the experience on camera."I was learning about things the same time that the world was and I just took it more deeply and personally," Grier said.In the documentary, Shields lifted the lid on her experience of being sexualized from a young age following her <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/brooke-shields-praises-pretty-baby-costar-keith-carradine-protective-gracious-2023-4">breakout performance playing a child prostitute</a> at age 11.The documentary used a mixture of archival footage and sit-down interviews with Shields, who said for the first time publicly that she had been <a target="_blank" class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/brooke-shields-sexual-assault-hollywood-executive-2023-3">sexually assaulted by an unnamed male Hollywood executive</a> when she was in her early 20s.<div type="image" title="Brooke Shields and her daughter Grier Shields in &quot;Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields&quot;" height="1440" width="2560" msid="112955262" hostid="261" sizebytes="53314"></div>While Shields' other daughter, Rowan, 21, knew about the sexual assault before the documentary's release, Grier, 18, hadn't been told."I didn't prepare her," the 59-year-old told People, adding that it was "a miscommunication.""I had explained it was an exploration of sexualization of women in my industry but I was naively thinking that because we had such a solid, healthy, fairly normal existence and I'm not completely damaged that she would say, 'Wow you've come through a lot but look where we are today,'" she added.Shields said she tried to tell Grier that there was a "happy ending" but said her daughter responded: "I will never be OK with thinking something bad happened to you.""She ended up missing the happy part," Shields continued. "She felt helpless, and just as a mom, we make mistakes and sometimes we make assumptions."In the documentary, which was directed by Lana Wilson, Shields said the assault occurred shortly after she graduated from Princeton University and after she agreed to go for a dinner that she believed was a work meeting.Afterward, the unnamed attacker invited her up to his hotel room to call a cab and assaulted her once they were alone, she said.In an interview with <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/brooke-shields-interview-documentary-pretty-baby-sexual-assault-1235302084/">The Hollywood Reporter</a> last year, Shields said she didn't know if she'd ever be able to speak publicly about the incident."It has taken me many years of therapy to even be able to talk about it. I definitely have worked very hard through it, and I've learned to process it," she said.

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