terry crews on red carpet wearing beige coat

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After the groundbreaking New York Times and New Yorker exposés revealed multiple allegations of sexual assault against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, actors from across the industry have both spoken out against Weinstein’s behaviour and shared their own experiences of sexual assault. Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor Terry Crews was one of them, and now he’s suing the man who allegedly assaulted him.

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Crews, 49, filed an assault and battery lawsuit against talent agency WME and Adam Venit—the agent he says grabbed his genitals at a Hollywood party in 2016.

“Venit, upon his first meeting Crews, viciously grabbed Crews’ penis and testicles so hard that it caused Crews immediate pain in a blatant and unprovoked sexual assault,” Crews’s attorney wrote in the complaint, which was filed on Monday in Los Angeles.

The suit goes on to state that Crews “smacked Venit’s hand away and shoved him back more forcefully than before, screaming ‘Hey! What are you doing?!’ two or three times, but Venit ignored everything Crews was saying and continued to try to grab Crews’ genitals.”

Crews says he called out to Adam Sandler, who was hosting the party, to get his attention, and yelled, “Adam, come get your boy! He’s grabbing my nuts!”

Crews says Sandler shook his head in disbelief and Venit giggled. Crews says Sandler called him after the party to apologize for the incident.

The lawsuit comes after Crews shared his own experience of sexual assault in Hollywood on Twitter in October in the hopes that his story will “deter a predator and encourage someone who feels hopeless.”

Crews continued that, as a Black man, he was scared to react angrily for fear that he would be painted in an unfair light.

Crews also noted that he did not share his story because he was worried he would not be believed.

He concludes the thread by saying the problem of sexual violence is one that permeates the entire Hollywood industry.

Almost instantly, Crews’s story went viral, and hundreds of people thanked the actor for his honesty.

Lots of people noted how important it was that a man share his experience of sexual assault…

And one thoughtful Twitter user pointed to the reality that, if a famous man like Terry Crews was afraid to share his story. several less powerful women were in the throes of that fear at this very moment.

Related:

Harvey Weinstein’s Name Will Be Removed from All Weinstein Company Shows & Movies
The Harvey Weinstein Scandal: Everything You Need To Know About The Story Shaking Hollywood (via Chatelaine)
Jessica Chastain, George Clooney and More Speak Out Against Harvey Weinstein
Hurricane Harvey Weinstein Rips Through His Support System (via Maclean’s)

The post Terry Crews Is Suing a Hollywood Agent for Sexual Assault appeared first on Flare.

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