The Los Angeles County D.A.’s office will not be filing sexual assault charges against actor Armie Hammer, according to a recent report from Variety.
In a statement, the D.A.’s office said that it couldn’t prove any rape allegations that were made against Hammer, in part due to what it claims are the “complexity of the relationship” between Hammer and his accuser.
“In this case, those prosecutors conducted an extremely thorough review, but determined that at this time, there is insufficient evidence to charge Mr. Hammer with a crime,” the office said. “As prosecutors, we have an ethical responsibility to only charge cases that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt… Due to the complexity of the relationship and inability to prove a non-consensual, forcible sexual encounter we are unable to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
What was Armie Hammer accused of?
Accusations made against Hammer surfaced in February 2021, when someone only identified as “Effie” alleged that Hammer had been physically abusive during a relationship the pair had over the course of four years. The woman also alleged that Hammer had raped her in 2017, a claim he’s denied.
Following the first accusations, several more appeared, with other women joining in with their own allegations across social media. These allegations also included accusations of being inappropriate, as well as Hammer’s alleged fetishes of cannibalism and BDSM-related kinks.
Since the allegations came out, Hammer has disappeared from the world of Hollywood. After starring in high-profile films like The Social Network, Call Me by Your Name, Sorry to Bother You, and On the Basis of Sex, Hammer hasn’t appeared in any film since 2022’s Death on the Nile, which only kept him in his role due to the expenses that would’ve been incurred to re-shoot the project.
Hammer also hasn’t commented much on the allegations aside from denying them initially, although he did give an interview in February to the digital newsletter Air Mail in which he opened up about them. Hammer said he contemplated suicide as a result of the falling out, and continued to deny any wrongdoing, but did admit to being “an ass—-” and “selfish,” as well as living what he called a “very intense and extreme lifestyle.”
“Every single thing was discussed beforehand…I have never thrust this on someone unexpectedly. Never,” Hammer said to Air Mail. “I would scoop up these women, bring them into it — into this whirlwind of travel and sex and drugs and big emotions flying around — and then as soon as I was done, I’d just drop them off and move on to the next woman, leaving that woman feeling abandoned or used.”
Hammer also went on to note that since the allegations, the actor has been aiming to improve and recovery through the use of rehab and a sober companion. He also mentioned that actor Robert Downey Jr. — who had his own infamous bout with alcoholism — had been supporting him, and also took shots at “cancel culture,’ which he seems to point to for the falling out of his career.
“The minute anyone does anything wrong, they’re thrown away. There’s no chance for rehabilitation.”
