Warren Beatty accused of historic sexual misconduct, court allows case to be refiled
The Guardian Film Unlimited reports that 86-year-old star Warren Beatty was sued in November last year by Kristina Hirsch. She utilized a temporary law in California that suspends the statute of limitations for sexual crimes committed against children for three years (until January 2023). A similar provision was cited in an assault case against Jamie Foxx, although it was applied in New York.
The woman accusing Beatty did not mention him by name but identified him as the actor who was nominated for an Oscar for the film "Bonnie and Clyde" directed by Arthur Penn. This could refer to only one person.
What has Hirsch accused Beatty of?
Hirsch alleges that the crime took place in 1973 when she was 14, and Beatty was 36. They met on a film set. According to her, the actor paid attention to her, complimented her, and invited her to his hotel and for car rides.
In her lawsuit, Hirsch argued that the star "exploited his position and status as an adult and Hollywood personality to coerce her into sexual encounters on various occasions. This eventually led to forced sex with a minor." In the United States, any sexual relationship with a minor is automatically classified as rape.
Hirsch claims to have suffered mental and emotional trauma as a result of this situation. She mentions having long-term trust issues now. Despite these claims, the court in Los Angeles dismissed her lawsuit, leaving Beatty's record untarnished. However, the lawsuit was dismissed in a way that allowed it to be refiled.
Beatty, now 86, has been absent from the screen for seven years and has made only occasional appearances over the past two decades. Meanwhile, his wife, renowned actress Annette Bening, recently appeared in "Nyad," a sports biographical drama by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, available on Netflix.
