We really have some strange notions of morality and legality - institutions pervasive with paying off victims, criminals above the law.

Extortion and bribery are so rampant everywhere. Not to mention the deviant, criminal behaviors.

No good guys in this story but can't help but feel she was taken advantage of too.

How was she "taken advantage of" exactly? She allegedly assaulted a child and then chose to pay hush money to avoid possible criminal charges and/or legal action. She's not the victim here.

If the genders were reversed, would you say the man was "taken advantage of" in this scenario? Would the woman be a "mean little extortionist"?

He was 17, under age but not a child. And from the photos of them flooding around it doesn't look like she was his abuser as much as he was her lover. Whatever was going on. What's proper here, I don't know. He seems to have had a photo of them and was asking money for it. A lot. Not an easy story to paint in black and white. But her autobio, with Bourdain and Weinstein and all, will be quite a story.

http://www.tmz.com/2018/08/19/asia-argento-reportedly-paid-off-her-own-accuser-380000-dollars-jimmy-bennett/

Also that Weinstein may still have some clout, money, connection to this.?

They met when he was 7 and she was 27. If the genders were swapped, the discussion would be about a predator grooming his victim from a young age.

She knew he wasn't of age and that didn't stop her. There should be no double standard in play here, and no excuses made because she's female or because she was a loud voice in the #MeToo movement.

Also, your attempt to smear the victim by implying that Weinstein is behind this is distasteful in the extreme.

posted what you did?
Double standards are alive and well.

Argento has been revealed as a predator and a hypocrite. But that's okay, because she is backing a cause the poster supports unequivocally.

No one would excuse a man who preyed on a child like this. The same standards and rules should apply to everyone.

You're absolutely right that Argento is a predator and a hypocrite, and it's disgusting that people would defend her, whatever their reasons might be.

if he was accused by a 17 year old girl. Never mind in California for a 37 year old to have sex with 17 year old is illegal since the age of consent is 18.

And if justice is resolving a wrong that a person did to another, it's heads and shoulders above what we usually do. "You wronged that person, which is a violation of the contract to society so the real victim is society. Therefore society will punish you, but the victim will be no better off as a result." Perhaps the punishment society exacts is time spent in captivity, sometimes it's a fine paid to the government. But the victim is seldom helped unless they file a civil case--and if the perp's punished sufficiently in criminal court, there's nothing for him to pay.

then where is the justice for society and future victims?

If you're going to be illegally molested as a child, it's really good luck that it was a wealthy elitist who did it? Otherwise, shit out of luck?

Upon further examination, I don't think this is working.

Apparently she met him on set when he was 7 years old (he played her son in a movie). And their first sexual encounter was when he was 17.

That's some real sexual predator grooming behavior shit right there.

And this was right around 5 years ago, so it may still be within the statute of limitations for prosecution.

to handle all of this. Tony knew and was still madly in love with her. His friends warned him about her but he was "crazy in love". He killed himself after seeing several photos of her and a lover over several day from the previous week. She was hugging, holding hands, snuggling all over Rome with her new young lover and tried to get the photographer not to print them. Tony and she broke up a lot and that last week was the last straw. She broke his heart. The CNN film crew was worried about him all week since they all knew what had happened. It was an impulsive, emotional suicide. I feel badly for his 12 year old daughter and his family and friends. I wish he had listened to them and heeded their warnings.

*As a huge fan of Tony's work I and have been getting bits of info about their relationship since his death.

she certainly didn't help his mental state. I guess that was the reason she felt the need to take out a huge ad defending herself when he died. I adored Tony -- followed his career since "Kitchen Confidential." What a shame his final days were with this charlatan.

I don't know where this happened, but most places don't have an age of consent over 17. So this was a straight up sexual assault, not a "sex with a minor" situation. In fact, the age of consent in Italy is 14.

Seemed insane to me, but, there it is

https://www.legalmatch.com/law-library/article/statutory-rape-the-age-of-consent.html

But I didn't find anything saying where the offense occurred.

This allegedly took place in California.

Hollywood is full of people who entertain you in the safety of your home that, if you knew them, you'd be unwilling to invite them into your home.

What a sad and weird group of people.

But Hollywood (about 10 years there) is a closed company town, and what happens in Hollywood stays in Hollywood. Or you never work again. Left long ago but there's stuff I still am afraid to say. The unwritten rule is "do what thou wilt" unless it violates someone else's "do what thou wilt" too. Not a model for Kansas, or general morality, but it's at the same time the most creative town in the world. And that freedom is partially why.

Might add. There is no place actually called Hollywood (though there is a real West Hollywood). It's actually a connection of people in many forms of entertainment all over the world. So it's not an isolated group.

Neither are very nice. West Hollywood is much nicer.

When I lived there Hollywood was a neighborhood of LA. Not an incorporated city, consolidated into LA long back. The "mayor" was just an honorary and Chamber of Commerce post. Usually the name stands for the movie biz which is interconnected all over the world. North Hollywood was also a neighborhood. In the Valley and part of the City of LA. West Hollywood, the only real Hollywood, was a separate, incorporated city, not in the city but the county of LA. The distinctions get pretty blurred into to one big sprawl down there. Don't know what's changed.

It was a big deal then when the wealthy in WH didn't want to pay as part of the LA school system and voted to secede from LA.

The irony!

by having her act in his movies?