Woody Allen attends ‘The Revisionist’ Opening Night at Cherry Lane Theatre.
Credit: Getty Images
Woody Allen’s lawyer and publicist responded to Dylan Farrow’s accusations on Sunday. Farrow, adoptive daughter of actress Mia Farrow, ignited a firestorm on Saturday when she penned an open letter in the New York Times alleging that Allen had sexually assaulted her 20 years ago, when she was just seven years old. The letter detailed incidents of Allen assaulting her in the attic of her childhood home and breathing into her genitals.
But now Allen’s lawyer and publicist are hitting back. Elkan Abramowitz, Allen’s lawyer, sent a statement to Mother Jones on Sunday, essentially blaming Farrow and implying that she masterminded the accusations:
“It is tragic that after 20 years a story engineered by a vengeful lover resurfaces after it was fully vetted and rejected by independent authorities. The one to blame for Dylan’s distress is neither Dylan nor Woody Allen.”
Leslee Dart, Allen’s publicist also sent a statement to Mother Jones, promising that Allen himself will respond to the allegations “Very soon”:
“Mr. Allen has read the article and found it untrue and disgraceful. He will be responding very soon…At the time, a thorough investigation was conducted by court appointed independent experts. The experts concluded there was no credible evidence of molestation; that Dylan Farrow had an inability to distinguish between fantasy and reality; and that Dylan Farrow had likely been coached by her mother Mia Farrow. No charges were ever filed.”
The controversy reopened after Allen won a special lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes. Both Mia Farrow and her son Ronan Farrow registered their outrage on Twitter, with Ronan Farrow tweeting, “Missed the Woody Allen tribute – did they put the part where a woman publicly confirmed he molested her at age 7 before or after Annie Hall?”
Follow Andrea Park on Twitter: @andreapark
