LOS ANGELES – Actor Jason Dottley said on Friday (Nov 10) that music and TV mogul Benny Medina – known for managing A-listers such as Jennifer Lopez – attempted to rape him nine years ago.
The allegation is the latest in a flood of sexual abuse claims implicating powerful men in Hollywood, including studio mogul Harvey Weinstein, Oscar-winner Kevin Spacey and comedian Louis C.K.
Dottley, 36, alleged that Medina tried to rape him in December 2008 after he and a friend were invited to the mogul’s Los Angeles home. After his friend went for a swim, leaving the two men alone, Medina threw him on the bed and “stuck his tongue down my mouth”, Dottley told The Advocate magazine.
As Dottley resisted, Medina became more aggressive, he said, recounting how he broke down and begged the producer to stop.
“His forearm was bearing down on my neck so hard that I don’t know how much longer I would have remained conscious,” Dottley recalled.
The attack ended when Dottley’s friend walked in on the pair, he said.
Medina’s attorneys, Howard Weitzman and Shawn Holley, issued a statement to People magazine, saying: “Benny Medina categorically denies the allegation of attempted rape”.
Dottley said Medina sent him a threatening message days after the alleged attack when he was walking down the street with his now ex-husband.
“It says something like: ‘Hey, I’m at The Ivy eating. Just saw you walking across the street. Is that the husband I have to have killed to have you?'”
Medina, 59, started working as a protege to legendary producer Berry Gordy, working with Motown stars such as The Temptations and Smokey Robinson. He also worked at Warner Brothers with Prince, Madonna and Chaka Khan.
Medina’s life inspired the TV show The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. He has managed Lopez, Will Smith and Mariah Carey, as well as produced television and films.
Dottley, who is best known for his role in the TV show Sordid Lives: The Series, told People he felt “powerless” during and after the alleged attack.
“You don’t try to rape someone, then threaten to kill their husband via text message if you aren’t incredibly fearless of what you’re doing,” Dottley said.
“This could not have been his first time.”
