Los Angeles: A woman has filed a lawsuit against Warren Beatty, alleging that the Hollywood actor coerced her into having sex with him in 1973 when she was 14 or 15 years old.
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, reports ‘Variety’.
Hirsch, who now lives in Louisiana, said 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 claimed that Beatty called her numerous times in 1973, invited her to the hotel where he was living and took her on drives.
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 January 1, 2023.
–IANS