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Armie Hammer Is "Grateful" After LA Prosecutor Announces He Won't Face Sexual Assault Charges
"I look forward to beginning what will be a long, difficult process of putting my life back together now that my name is cleared," the actor said.
Armie Hammer is looking forward to putting his life "back together" after the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced it will not be pressing sexual assault charges against the actor.
Following a two-year investigation into allegations of sexual assault against the actor, spokesperson Tiffiny Blacknell told NBC News May 31 that the office would not be pressing charges. "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," Blacknell explained.
She added, "As prosecutors, we have an ethical responsibility to only charge cases that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt. We know that it is hard for women to report sexual assault."
RELATED: Actor Armie Hammer Under Investigation In LA After Woman Alleges He 'Violently Raped' Her
Hammer acknowledged the office's decision in a statement shared to social media on Wednesday. "I am very grateful to the District Attorney for conducting a thorough investigation and coming to the conclusion that I have stood by this entire time, that no crime was committed,” he wrote. “I look forward to beginning what will be a long, difficult process of putting my life back together now that my name is cleared.”
The Los Angeles Police Department launched its investigation in February 2021. At the time, the department declined to identify the accuser, simply referring to her as a "female community member," Oxygen.com reported.
A young woman named Effie came forward in March 2021, alleging that she began an on-again, off-again relationship with the then-married actor in 2016. She alleged he later raped her and physically abused her without her consent.
"I thought that he was going to kill me," she said during a press conference, according to E! Online.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Effie expressed disappointment. "I felt a duty to speak out and file a report in order to try to hold Armie accountable for all the harm and trauma he has caused me and in order to protect other women from experiencing similar abuse,” she said, according to NBC News.
Hammer consistently denied all allegations of wrongdoing, calling them "outrageous" in a statement issued by his attorney Andrew Brettler, E! Online reported. "From day one, Mr. Hammer has maintained that all of his interactions with [Effie] — and every other sexual partner of his for that matter — have been completely consensual, discussed and agreed upon in advance, and mutually participatory," the statement read in part.
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Since then, Hammer has sought treatment for drug, alcohol, and sex issues. He told the publication Air Mail in February that therapy has shown him that while his relationships with younger women weren't physically abusive, he could've conducted himself better.
"I’m here to own my mistakes, take accountability for the fact that I was an asshole, that I was selfish, that I used people to make me feel better, and when I was done, moved on,” Hammer said. “I’m now a healthier, happier, more balanced person."
