The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office will not be filing sexual assault charges against Armie Hammer after a two-year investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department.
In a statement (via Variety), the D.A.’s office explained that it was unable to prove the sexual assault allegations beyond a reasonable doubt due to 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 D.A.’s 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.”
In March 2021, a woman identifying herself as Effie stepped forward to accuse Hammer of being physically abusive during their on-and-off relationship that spanned four years, and alleged that the actor violently raped her in 2017.
At the time, Hammer firmly denied the allegations, saying his relationships with Effie and other women who previously came forward on social media were “completely consensual” and “mutually participatory.” In an interview earlier this year, he maintained the stance, but admitted to being emotionally abusive.
Last year, Hammer was the subject of a three-part documentary called House of Hammer, which dug deep into the multiple allegations of abuse and uncovered his family history.
