Harold Perrineau, of Oz and Lost fame, has released his first statement on his daughter Aurora Perrineau’s allegation that Murray Miller, a writer for HBO’s Girls, raped her.
He also took those like Lena Dunham to task for their hurtful comments though he didn’t mention anyone by name.
“I’ve been silent for a few weeks now. Completely silent,” Harold wrote. “I mean what do you say when you are watching your wife not eat or sleep? What do you say when you realized you couldn’t protect your child? What do you say when your heart is just…broken? Silence.”
He spoke of his daughters “strength and bravery” as well, saying, “I realized I’m not watching some victim here, I’m in the presence of a warrior,” Harold said. “A real life crime fighter who is unafraid to look boldly at some coward who hoped to abuse her and say, no.”
It was in November that Aurora came forward saying that at 17-years-old, Miller raped her after a party in 2012. Miller’s representatives said the accusation was false, stating, “After being contacted several weeks ago by lawyers who — on Ms. Perrineau’s behalf — sought substantial monetary damages from him, Mr. Miller’s legal team gathered overwhelming evidence directly contradicting these false and offensive claims. Only after her demands for money were rebuffed did Ms. Perrineau go to the police. Mr. Miller looks forward to sharing all evidence and information with any and all authorities seeking the truth in this matter.”
Just Thursday however, they had a different story and admitted that Aurora didn’t actually seek monetary damages at all, nor did her representatives.
“In a previous statement to media, we stated that Ms. Perrineau sought substantial monetary damages from our client Murray Miller. Neither Ms. Perrineau nor her attorneys have ever made a demand for money,” Miller’s attorneys stated. “Our previous above statement was incorrect and the result of a good-faith misunderstanding.”
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When Aurora spoke out about the alleged attack, Lena Dunham, who has always claimed to believe victims, along with Girls showrunner Jenni Konner, released their own joint statement in defense of Miller. They even went so far as to claim that Aurora had “misreported” the incident.
“During the windfall of deeply necessary accusations over the last few months in Hollywood, we have been thrilled to see so many women’s voices heard and dark experiences in this industry justified. It’s a hugely important time of change and, like every feminist in Hollywood and beyond, we celebrate. But during every time of change there are also incidences of the culture, in its enthusiasm and zeal, taking down the wrong targets,” Dunham and Konner’s statement read.
“We believe, having worked closely with him for more than half a decade, that this is the case with Murray Miller. While our first instinct is to listen to every woman’s story, our insider knowledge of Murray’s situation makes us confident that sadly this accusation is one of the 3 percent of assault cases that are misreported every year. It is a true shame to add to that number, as outside of Hollywood women still struggle to be believed. We stand by Murray and this is all we’ll be saying about this issue.”
After receiving significant backlash, Dunham apologized for her comments saying, “Every woman who comes forward deserves to be heard, fully and completely, and our relationship to the accused should not be part of the calculation anyone makes when examining her case.
“Every person and every feminist should be required to hear her. Under patriarchy, ‘I believe you’ is essential. Until we are all believed, none of us will be believed. We apologize to any woman who have been disappointed.”
Harold Perrineau also said in his statement, all of you out there that think you can get away with your abuse” and “all of your friends” with “insider information, I say, let’s let the police do their job.
“But you should know this… YOU HAVE F—ED WITH THE WRONG FAMILY!!! WE STAND UP!!!”
— Harold Perrineau (@HaroldPerrineau) December 8, 2017