Ashley Judd reveals 'restorative justice' meeting with man who raped her

Ashley Judd says she found the man who assaulted her and they "ended up in rocking chairs sitting by a creek together". Photo / Getty Images

WARNING: This story discusses sexual assault

Ashley Judd says she met the man who raped her in 1999 and sat down for a "restorative justice" conversation with him.

The actor detailed the meeting on an episode of the Healing with David Kessler podcast, saying she had tracked down the man who assaulted her because she was "very interested" to hear his story.

"I tried to find him, and he surfaced very easily, and to make a long story short, we ended up in rocking chairs sitting by a creek together," she told Kessler.

"And I said, 'I'm very interested in hearing the story you've carried all these years.' And we had a restorative justice conversation about that.

"I didn't need anything from him, and it was just gravy that he made his amends and expressed his deep remorse, because healing from grief is an inside job."

Judd has previously spoken of being a "three-time rape survivor", describing her experiences at the Women in the World Summit three years ago. She said one of those rapes had resulted in pregnancy.

"I'm very thankful I was able to access safe and legal abortion because that rapist, who's a Kentuckian – as am I, and I reside in Tennessee – has paternity rights in Kentucky and Tennessee. I would've had to co-parent with a rapist."

Judd also spoke on the podcast about her grief since her mother, singer Naomi Judd, died earlier this year.

Ashley Judd seen in 1999 with her mother, Naomi (L), and sister, Wynona (R). Photo / Getty Images

"I look back on my childhood and realise I grew up with a mother with an undiagnosed and untreated mental illness," she said. "I understand that she was in pain and doing the best she could."

Judd also shared the advice her mother gave her when she was contemplating becoming one of the first people to speak out against Harvey Weinstein, who she later sued for sexual harassment and defamation.

"She said: 'Go get him.'"

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