Dawson’s Creek alum Michael Pitt was reportedly arrested following allegations of sexual assault.
According to reports published by TMZ and the New York Post on Tuesday, May 6, Pitt, 44, was arrested in New York City in the late hours of Friday, May 2, on “two counts of first-degree sexual abuse and other related charges,” per the Post. TMZ detailed the charges to be “assault injury with a weapon sexually motivated, strangulation sexually motivated, sex abuse, and forcible compulsion.”
Both outlets noted that Pitt, who played Henry Parker in Dawson’s Creek from 1999 to 2000, pleaded not guilty to all charges, with the Post detailing that Judge Joanne Quinones set bail at $100,000 during a Brooklyn Supreme Court arraignment, which Pitt posted.
Us Weekly has reached out to a representative for Pitt for comment.
While Hollywood may appear to be all glitz and glam on the surface, the industry has seen its fair share of scandals through the years. The New York Times and the New Yorker first published investigative pieces in 2017 that accused disgruntled movie producer Harvey Weinstein of decades of sexual assault and harassment. Soon after, Weinstein stood trial and was […]
An attorney for Pitt, Cary London, addressed the arrest in a statement published by the Post on Tuesday. “Unfortunately, we live in a world where somebody like Mr. Pitt — an accomplished professional who would never so much as contemplate these crimes — can be arrested on the uncorroborated word of an unhinged individual,” London stated. “We look forward to proving his innocence through the evidence and not through the media.”
The outlet added that Pitt is due back in court on June 17.
Court documents alleged that the assault took place across four incidents between April 2020 and August 2021, with TMZ reporting that each incident occurred “at the actor’s Bushwick home with his then-girlfriend.”
The assault claims involved initially fondling the woman and, in the following months, allegedly striking her with a wooden plank. On a separate occasion that allegedly took place in June 2021, Pitt is accused of assaulting the woman with a cinderblock.
Ever since Dawson’s Creek premiered in 1998, the show became a favorite among fans and remains one of the most popular teen dramas to ever hit the small screen. The series followed the life of Joey Potter (Katie Holmes), a tomboy who is just trying to make it through high school following the death of […]
Court documents further allege that Pitt “strangled” the woman “on August 7, 2021,” per the Post.
A second attorney for Pitt, Jason Goldman, also denied the allegations in a statement shared with TMZ. “In reality, this baseless claim is suspiciously raised some four or five years after the alleged incident, at a time when the two parties were in a completely consensual and voluntary relationship,” Goldman told the outlet. “This case will be dismissed.”
TMZ also reported on Pitt’s alleged 2022 arrest on grounds of “assault and petty larceny” which resulted in a man suffering “only minor injuries.”
If you or someone you know are experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support.
