Armie Hammer will not face sexual assault charges in Los Angeles County

Armie Hammer will not face a sexual assault charge in Los Angeles County.

After a two-year investigation, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office decided not to file and prosecute the actor. Hammer was accused of rape by a former partner, identified as Effie, in February 2021. She alleged that Hammer was physically abused during their four-year, on-and-off relationship, and that Hammer raped her in 2017.

In a statement (cf Variety), the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office said it could not prove the rape allegations beyond a reasonable doubt due to the “complexity of the relationship” between Hammer and accuser Effie. Hammer has denied the allegations.

“In this case, those prosecutors conducted an extremely thorough investigation, but determined that there is not sufficient evidence at this time to charge Mr. Hammer with a crime,” the district attorney’s office said. “As prosecutors, we have an ethical responsibility to prosecute only cases that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt…Due to the complexity of the relationship and the inability to prove a non-consensual, coerced sexual encounter, we are unable to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.”

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Hammer hasn’t worked in Hollywood since the allegations were made public. The ‘Social Network’ actor has been barred from upcoming films including Taika Waititi’s ‘Next Goal Wins’ as rumors swirled of alleged sexual acts involving cannibalism and BDSM. He was dropped by his agency, WME, in 2021. In addition to Effie, several other women have accused Hammer of abuse.

Hammer gave his first interview addressing the allegations in February 2023, opening up about his childhood sexual abuse and apologizing for past relationship behavior.

“I’m here to acknowledge my mistakes, take responsibility for the fact that I was an asshole, that I was selfish, that I used people to make me feel better, and when I’m done, I’ve moved on. And he treated people worse than they should have been treated,” Hammer he told the airmail. “I would like these younger women in their 20s and 30s. I was a successful actor at the time. They might have been happy just being with me and would have said yes to things they might not have said yes to themselves. This is an imbalance of power in the situation.