Buzzfeed, which first reported sexual misconduct allegations against Piven last November, said its latest report prompted the actor’s lawyers to threaten legal action. “All three women who spoke to BuzzFeed News for this story, in multiple exchanges over the course of two months, said they felt compelled to share their experiences because they were frustrated with Piven’s past denials,” reports Buzzfeed. Piven is accused of attempting to sexually assault an extra on a 1985 film. Another accuser, an extra on the set of Ellen DeGeneres’ ABC sitcom in 1996, said he became physically aggressive during a romantic encounter. And another woman said Piven pinned her against the wall of a Montreal hotel room in 1994. Asked to respond, Piven issued the following statement: “Some of the assertions, as related to me by BuzzFeed, are not even physically possible. As one example, there is a claim that I grabbed the woman, started to kiss her, picked her up, and wrapped her legs around my waist. It is hard to understand how someone could hold a woman and at the same time wrap both of her legs around his waist without the consent of the woman.” Piven added that he took and passed a lie detector test in November in an attempt to prove his innocence. The number of women who have accused the actor of sexual misconduct is now eight.
TOPICS: Jeremy Piven, CBS, Wisdom of the Crowd, Sexual Misconduct