Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Terry Crews made headlines in the days following the first wave of Harvey Weinstein allegations by relaying, via Twitter, the story of how a “high level Hollywood exec” groped him at an industry function. He told the story, and described his inaction to the assault, to explain how he understands “why women who this happens to let it go,” in the hope that “me coming for ward with my story will deter a predator and encourage someone who feels hopeless.”
The story, unsurprisingly, went viral. Crews subsequently revealed the identity of the exec: William Morris Endeavor agent Adam Venit. And now, he’s filed suit against the agent and the agency.
The complaint, filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that “Venit, upon his first meeting Crews, viciously grabbed Crews’ penis and testicles so hard that it caused Crews immediate pain in a blatant and unprovoked sexual assault,” and claims that though he reported the assault to WME the next day, the agency took no action, thanks to their “unspoken policy of not punishing executives and agents for misconduct.”
The actor is suing for assault, battery, sexual battery, sexual harassment, gender violence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, breach of fiduciary duty, negligence and negligent retention and supervision. But, as indicated in his original tweets, he also clearly sees this is a symbolic action as well. As attorney Bryan Sullivan writes in the complaint, “After all, if Crews, a 6’4″, muscled man, former professional athlete, with a long list of entertainment industry credits, can be the victim of sexual assault at the hands of a much more powerful individual in the entertainment industry, anyone can be a victim.”