Armie Hammer Will Not Face Sexual Assault Charges In LA, The D.A. Explains Why

Armie Hammer in Sorry to Bother You
(Image credit: Focus Features)

Over two years ago, Armie Hammer was first accused of sexual assault, which led to a lengthy investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department that launched in April. That investigation has now concluded, and it was announced on Wednesday that the case has been dropped. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office has released a statement saying that not enough evidence has been discovered to prove the rape allegations brought against the Call Me By Your Name actor. 

Hammer’s accuser, who has previously been identified as "Effie," reported to the police back in February 2021 that the actor had allegedly been physically abusive to her during their four-year relationship and had raped her in 2017. Armie Hammer denied the allegations. Check out the D.A. office’s statement following the investigation, per Variety

In this case, those prosecutors conducted an extremely thorough review, but determined that at this time, there is insufficient evidence to charge Mr. Hammer with a crime. As prosecutors, we have an ethical responsibility to only charge cases that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt… Due to the complexity of the relationship and inability to prove a non-consensual, forcible sexual encounter we are unable to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Effie’s claims initially went viral when an Instagram account called House of Effie anonymously leaked messages from Hammer writing about his BDSM and cannibalistic fantasies. This was followed by more allegations from other women, and Hammer was dropped from numerous projects he was attached to including being replaced by Josh Duhamel in Shotgun Wedding with Jennifer Lopez, exiting The Offer, and no longer being part of Taika Waititi’s Next Goal Wins, which is coming out this fall. 

After the allegations, Armie Hammer went to a rehab for months in Orlando, Florida to reportedly be treated for issues related to substance abuse and addiction. He also spent time in the Cayman Islands where he reportedly was working at a resort and selling timeshares. Hammer opened up about what had transpired after the viral messages and sexual abuse allegations in February, sharing details of past sexual abuse and a suicide attempt

Regarding the allegations, Hammer has continued to deny them, though he did admit to being an “asshole,” who has been “selfish” and had lived a “very intense and extreme lifestyle” in an interview with AirMail. He recalled bringing women into his life and bringing them into a “whirlwind of travel and sex and drugs” before he would “drop them off and move on to the next woman.” 

With the LAPD unable to find sufficient evidence to charge Hammer, we do wonder what’s next for the actor. His last movie was 2022’s Death on the Nile, which he did not do press for. He is not attached to any 2023 new movie releases or other upcoming Hollywood projects, and last we heard, he was dropped by his talent agent. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more about what’s next for Armie Hammer. 

Sarah El-Mahmoud
Staff Writer

Sarah El-Mahmoud has been with CinemaBlend since 2018 after graduating from Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Journalism. In college, she was the Managing Editor of the award-winning college paper, The Daily Titan, where she specialized in writing/editing long-form features, profiles and arts & entertainment coverage, including her first run-in with movie reporting, with a phone interview with Guillermo del Toro for Best Picture winner, The Shape of Water. Now she's into covering YA television and movies, and plenty of horror. Word webslinger. All her writing should be read in Sarah Connor’s Terminator 2 voice over.