District Attorney

District Attorney Creates Special Task Force to Evaluate Hollywood Sexual Abuse Allegations

Los Angeles County Jackie Lacey aims to address the allegations of sexual abuse in Hollywood with the help of veteran sex crime prosecutors

In response to recent sexual assault allegations against major Hollywood figures, Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey launched a special task force that will evaluate the complaints, she announced Thursday.

Lacey aims to address the allegations of sexual abuse in Hollywood with the help of veteran sex crime prosecutors.

"I have established a task force of specially trained deputy district attorneys who are ready to evaluate these cases if any are referred to my office for criminal prosecution," she said in statement on Thursday.

The district attorney said she carefully considered agents in the task force who will "work together to ensure a uniformed approach to the legal review and possible prosecution of any case that meets both the legal and factual standards for criminal prosecution."

Although they have not received cases for potential criminal filing, Lacey said she is working with the Beverly Hills and Los Angeles police departments.

Allegations of sexual abuse in the entertainment industry have surfaced after a group of women accused producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault and abuse since the late 1970s.

The allegations sparked the #MeToo movement, which involves survivors of sexual assault sharing their experiences.

A series of celebrities showed support for the movement while some shared their own experiences. Most recently, actor Terry Crews filed a police report against Hollywood executive Adam Venit after taking to Twitter to share his experience of allegedly being groped at a party in 2016.

Other major Hollywood figures that have been accused of misconduct include Kevin Spacey, Steven Seagal, Ed Westwick, Danny Masterson, Brett Ratner, Jeremy Piven and Louis C.K.

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