Asia Argento, Harvey Weinstein accuser, allegedly paid off her own sexual assault accuser

Italian actress Asia Argento reached a settlement with a young actor who accused her of sexual assault. Photo / AP

Italian actress Asia Argento, who was one of the first women to publicly accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, allegedly paid off a young male actor who accused her of sexual misconduct.

According to the New York Times, a young actor and musician named Jimmy Bennett says Argento sexually assaulted him in a California hotel room a few years ago, when he was 17 and she was 37.

The Times report says Argento "quietly arranged" to pay Bennett $380,000 (NZ$574,000) in the months following her accusation against disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein.

Bennett is a former child actor who played Argento's son in the 2004 film The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things.

The Times states that they obtained legal documents about the settlement via encrypted email from an unidentified party.

Argento accused Weinstein of raping her when she was 21 in 1997. The actress gave an impassioned speech at this year's Cannes Film Festival, stating that it was at the same festival where the assault took place.

"In 1997, I was raped by Harvey Weinstein here at Cannes," she said. "I was 21 years old. This festival was his hunting ground."

"Harvey Weinstein will never be welcomed here ever again," she continued. "He will live in disgrace, shunned by a film community that embraced him and covered up for his crimes."

Argento reportedly did not respond to The Times' requests for comment.