Woody Allen sexual abuse allegation

Allen in 2016.

In August 1992, American filmmaker and actor Woody Allen was alleged by actress Mia Farrow to have sexually molested their adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow, then aged seven, in Mia Farrow's home in Bridgewater, Connecticut.[1] Allen has repeatedly denied the allegation.[2][3]

When the allegation was made, Allen and Mia Farrow had been in a 12-year relationship and had three children together: two adopted, Dylan and Moses, and one biological, Satchel (now known as Ronan Farrow).[1] The sexual abuse is alleged to have taken place eight months after Farrow learned that Allen had a sexual relationship with another of her adoptive daughters, Soon-Yi Previn, who went on to marry him in 1997; Previn was a first-year undergraduate and 21 years old when Farrow eventually found out about the relationship.[4] Allen alleged that the relationship prompted Farrow to concoct the molestation allegation as an act of vengeance.[3] The Connecticut State's Attorney investigated the allegation but did not press charges.[5] During the investigation the Connecticut State Police referred Dylan to the Child Sexual Abuse Clinic of Yale–New Haven Hospital, which concluded that Allen had not sexually abused Dylan and the allegation was probably coached or influenced by Mia Farrow.[6][7] The New York Department of Social Services found "no credible evidence" to support the allegation.[8]

In response to the allegation, Allen sued Farrow for sole custody of Dylan, Satchel, and Moses.[9] He lost the case in June 1993, though the judge agreed that the allegation of sexual abuse had not been proven and the preponderance of the evidence indicated no abuse.[10] Visitations with Dylan were to be resumed within six months, as soon as Dylan had recovered from what she had suffered during the initial custody case,[10] while Allen was given limited, supervised visitation with Satchel; Moses, a teenager, was allowed to decide for himself.[11][12] The decision was upheld on appeal in 1994[13] and 1995.[14]

Dylan has repeated the allegation several times as an adult, although with modifications of Mia's 1992 narrative.[15][16] Her first public comment was in an interview with Maureen Orth for Vanity Fair in 2013,[17] followed by an open letter in the New York Times in 2014[18] and a Los Angeles Times op-ed in December 2017.[19] Allen has also spoken publicly about the allegation, in a New York Times op-ed[3] and in 2018 in a statement to CBS News, each time denying it, and referring to the unanimous conclusions of multiple judicial investigations that exonerated him.[20] Mia is accused of child abuse by two of her children, Moses[21] and Soon-Yi,[22] who also accuse her of false allegations and of "brainwashing" Dylan. In a 2018 letter posted online, Moses—who was 14 at the time of the allegations—wrote that he felt a responsibility "as the man of the house" to carefully watch Dylan and others the afternoon she was allegedly molested, and explained in detail why he believes the allegation is false. He calls his coerced support of Mia the biggest mistake of his life.[21] He tweeted, "So many times I saw my mother try to convince her that she was abused—and it has worked."[23]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference OrthNov1992 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Woody Allen defends himself on '60 Minutes' in '92". CBS News. Archived from the original on November 22, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference AllenFeb72014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wypijewski26Feb2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Henneberger25Sept1993 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference PerezPena26Oct1993 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Weber14Aug1992 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b Wilk, Elliott. Custody Court Ruling (Court case). Supreme Court: New York County.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference Marks8June1993 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Shea7Feb2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference appeal1994 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference appeal1995 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Farrow, Mia (2018). What Falls Away: A Memoir. Random House Publishing. p. 299. ISBN 9781984800114. OCLC 1035846541.
  16. ^ January 18, 2018 (January 18, 2018). "Dylan Farrow details her sexual molestation allegations against Woody Allen". CBS This Morning. Retrieved March 22, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference OrthOct2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference Farrow1Feb2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference Farrow7Dec2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ "Woody responds to Dylan Farrow sexual abuse allegations". CBS News. January 18, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  21. ^ a b Moses Farrow (May 23, 2018). "A SON SPEAKS OUT".
  22. ^ Soon-Yi Previn Defends Woody Allen and Accuses Mia Farrow of Abuse
  23. ^ "@MosesFarrow". Twitter. Retrieved December 13, 2020.