Photo: Maxim Suvoroff / Shutterstock
Will justice be served?
By Alice Kelly — Written on Dec 10, 2021
The Los Angeles Police Department has reportedly wrapped up an investigation into rape allegations against Armie Hammer.
The case, which was filed in March, to the L.A. County District Attorney's Office.
The investigation stems from claims made by a woman, named Effie, who says the actor violently raped her back in 2017.
Effie's claims, which were made public in a press conference, are part of a wider scandal in which multiple women have accused the "Call Me By Your Name" star of sexual and emotional abuse.
Will Armie Hammer be arrested and charged with rape?
According to TMZ, charges are unlikely despite the strength of the case.
While it will ultimately be up to the DA to decide, the outlet claims lack of credibility or lack of evidence may contribute to charges not being brought against the actor.
Effie accused Armie Hammer of sexual and emotional abuse.
The investigation is based on a rape claim from Effie who has also shared countless screenshots of texts that show Hammer's alleged history of abuse.
“He repeatedly slammed my head against a wall, bruising my face,” Effie said through tears during a press conference about the allegations.
“He also committed other acts of violence against me to which I did not consent. For example, he beat my feet with a crop so they would hurt with every step I took for the next week. During those four hours I tried to get away, but he wouldn’t let me. I thought that he was going to kill me.”
Back in January 2021, several women took to social media to accuse Hammer of emotional abuse, manipulation and sexual violence.
Screenshots of explicit messages sent by the actor revealed disturbing sexual fantasies involving physical violence and cannibalism.
One former partner, Paige Lorenze, 23, alleged that Hammer, 35, had carved his initial into her groin during sex and repeatedly requested to remove one of her ribs so he could fulfill his cannibalistic fantasies.
Hammer has repeatedly denied all of what he has labeled as “bullsh*t claims.”
Armie Hammer has stayed out of the public eye since the claims.
The actor, who was living on the Cayman Islands when the claims emerged, has remained largely private while the case plays out.
In May, Hammer has reportedly checked into a treatment facility near Orlando, Florida, after months of sexual and emotional abuse allegations from ex-partners.
Witnesses say ex-wife Elizabeth Chambers and their children said their goodbyes at an airport in the Cayman Islands, as sources close to the former couple confirm that Hammer reached out to Chambers for help late last month.
Hammer checked into the in-patient facility on Monday, May 31, and was reportedly being treated for drug, alcohol and sex-related issues.
A close friend of Hammer’s celebrated the actor’s entry into treatment saying, “This is a clear sign that he is taking back control [of] his life and knows that this [is] a step towards his overall well-being.”
Yet, so far, nothing has been done to acknowledge the needs or well-being of his alleged victims.
Hammer’s treatment program does nothing for those who have accused him of abuse.
Treating “sex issues” alongside drug and alcohol addiction minimizes the reality that this is not simply a personal demon, but rather years of trauma he's inflicted on to others.
“I would say this is an ‘out of control’ sexual behavior and violent behavior,” says Paula Kirsch, a psychotherapist who specializes in sex therapy.
“I would not consider his problem a ‘sex addiction,’” Kirsch said. “I do not subscribe to the addiction model where sex is concerned.”
For months, Hammer’s lawyers and representatives have been diminishing the claims of his alleged victims.
Effie’s consent to other sexual encounters with the actor was weaponized against her, her last name and personal messages exposed.
Entering treatment for personal addiction issues without accepting responsibility for the trauma caused places Hammer, once again, as the author of this story, whilst talking down the claims of his victims.
Friends of Hammer say he is the victim of trauma.
Those close to Hammer have frequently hinted at unresolved trauma in Hammer’s past that has been compounded by years of alcohol and drug abuse.
“He’s addicted to drugs because he has so much trauma that he cannot deal with stillness, face himself, or sit alone with his shit,” an ex-girlfriend said.
A close friend criticized those who think Hammer, who is the grandson of multimillionaire Armand Hammer, didn’t have “problems in his youth.”
“Just because you come from an upbringing where financial resources are plentiful doesn’t mean life isn’t without problems.”
Hammer’s own mother, while addressing her son’s allegations and secrets about the other Hammer men that have come to light said, “Every family has ‘something.’”
These past traumas probably should be addressed in a treatment facility. And for that reason alone Hammer’s rehab stint might have its merits.
But, again, using a life of “problems” and every family’s “something” as an excuse for alleged sex crimes makes a victim out of Hammer.
This is a man whose sexual gratification is said to have resulted in long-standing trauma for his alleged victims.
Even if his treatment brings the most positive of outcomes, those who have accused him of crimes will not get their justice, nor will his treatment undo the trauma he has inflicted.
Effie, who has tirelessly voiced her trauma in an effort to bring Hammer’s alleged misconduct to light, acknowledged the lack of comfort in Hammer’s treatment.
“While I am glad that Armie is finally getting the help I begged him to get for so long, this does not take away all of the immense pain and suffering he has caused me,” she said.
Alice Kelly is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York. Catch her covering all things social justice, news, and entertainment. Keep up with her on Twitter for more.