TV presenter 'groped' by Schwarzenegger may sue

The Independent (UK) ^ | 05 October 2003 | James Morrison and Andrew Gumbel in Bakersfield, California

[John Jorsett]

California election: Three more women come forward to add to tide of harassment allegations against actor-turned-politician

The British television presenter who alleges she was sexually harassed by Arnold Schwarzenegger in a London hotel is threatening to sue him for libel over his claim that she invented the incident.

Close friends of Anna Richardson say she is furious that Schwarzenegger aides, in attempting to shore up his support ahead of Tuesday's recall election for California governor, briefed against her. The movie star's spin-doctors claimed that, far from having her breasts groped against her will, Ms Richardson invited him to examine them.

Ms Richardson's threat came as three more women stepped forward to add to the tide of sexual allegations facing Mr Schwarzenegger.

A former intern at CNN, Collette Brooks, told reporters that he groped her buttocks and told her she had "a nice ass" while she was showing him around a studio 25 years ago. In another incident, an assistant director on his 1988 film Twins claimed he had regularly undressed in front of her in his trailer, while Carla Baron, a stand-in on the same movie set, said he had sandwiched her between himself and a crew member and forced his tongue into her mouth.

Mr Schwarzenegger is also accused of being a Nazi sympathiser after the emergence of an old interview transcript in which he appeared to praise Hitler - an allegation he immediately denied, stating that his quotes had been taken out of context.

Ms Richardson has alleged that Mr Schwarzenegger grabbed her and pulled her on to his knee before squeezing her nipple while she interviewed him for an LWT film show, The Big Screen, at the Dorchester hotel in London in December 2000.

The claims by the 32-year-old vicar's daughter were originally published in The Sun shortly after the alleged incident. They resurfaced last week when the Los Angeles Times detailed a series of similar complaints by five other women about the star's past indiscretions.

While he was quick to admit to having "behaved badly" towards some women in the past, his campaign managers denied these included Ms Richardson. Sheryl Main, a Hollywood publicist who was with the actor during Ms Richardson's interview with him, insisted the presenter approached him, cupped her right breast and said: "What do you think of these?"

Ms Richardson has told friends that she may sue Mr Schwarzenegger and/or his aides for accusing her of lying.

Since her allegations re-emerged on Thursday, the glamorous but, until now, little-known presenter has been bombarded with interview requests from media outlets around the world. Currently on holiday with her partner, Ms Richardson is understood to have been negotiating to sell her story to a British tabloid.

A source close to Ms Richardson said it was now "a possibility" she would sue Mr Schwarzenegger over his denial of her claims, adding: "Comments in the LA Times have basically libelled Anna."

In her original interview with The Sun about the alleged incident, she said: "He kept saying how fantastic I looked and staring at my boobs. When I went to shake his hand he pulled me on to his knee, saying, 'I really want to know if your breasts are real.' I told him they are an F-cup. Before I knew what was happening he circled my nipple with his finger and gave it a squeeze. He then said, 'Yeah, they are real.' I stood up and said, 'You're making me nervous.'

"He told me not to be nervous and pulled me back on his knee. I said, 'Can I go, please?' He said, 'Yeah', and patted my bum as I went off."

At the time, his spokesman said, "I don't know anything about this particular incident but Arnie is a big flirt, as is Anna. Most presenters know how to handle him and understand he's just flirting."

As the latest, potentially damaging, allegations were made public, there were some signs of an upturn in Mr Schwarzenegger's fortunes on the campaign trail itself. With the actor barnstorming his way across the state on the so-called California Comeback Express, his supporters rallied to his defence.

Lynn Harwood-Campbell, a true-blue Republican with two sons in the military, was typical of the doting fans he encountered on Friday. After waiting for two hours with a gaggle of girlfriends in the sizzling heat of California's Central Valley to catch a glimpse of her idol, she told reporters: "He can grope me any time. What would you prefer, a cigar with Bill Clinton, or a grope with Arnold Schwarzenegger?"

Others tried to turn the guns on Gray Davis, the incumbent Democrat governor whom the actor is trying to unseat. One roadside sign read: "Gray Davis groped me when he reached into my wallet."

[ChadGore]

Will Grey Davis stop at nothing ? How low can this snake Davis be ?

[steveo]

She is an F and likes to have her photo taken in her underwear.

I remember when I was a little steveo, getting in trouble for getting an 'F'. Same thing would happen today I guess.

[Leroy S. Mort]

BTW, she can be found on a lot of nude sites.

There are nude sites on line? Can anyone tell me how to disable parental control?

[autoresponder]

Since news media seems to be immune from prosecution, lawsuits, and regulation; what is to prevent another "news media source" from creating "news stories" about indviduals in journalism.

Sources being sacred and totally confidential it appears that anything can be said or printed or broadcast with no consequences.

Examples:

#1 - LA Times publishing BS about Arnold being pro-Nazi based on a verbal tale of "imaginary transcripts" from George Baker who now claims the original "book concept" is probably at a vacation home in New Hampshire.

#2 - "News stories" printed by The Nation, NY Times, and Washington Post written by Wilson with the evidence being poor recollection of who gave him his Niger Mission, no printed documentation of CIA orders, no written or taped documentation of any alleged "CIA debriefing report" Wilson gave regarding his tea and pee trip to Niger except:

"News stories" printed by The Nation, NY Times, and Washington Post written by Wilson and countless TV appearances accusing Cheney, GW, and your mother in law of "outing" his "secret agent wife" Mrs. Valorie 000 Plame-Wilson.

#3 - Anything General W(h)aco Clark ever wrote or said on TV.

Etc.

[Afronaut]

"The same people who didn't blink at Clinton's allegations of rape and womanizing in and out of the White House, are the same people who want to crucify Arnold for groping someone 25 years ago. They're pathetic. "

Just as pathetic as defending this low-life liberal. How can you excuse this behavior? Because he apologized? Geeze.

[slimer]

I hope that she is prepared to have everything she has ever done in her life made public.

[Timesink]

Libel suit my ass. Richardson has a reputation in the UK as quite the public flirt, to put it mildly. "Vicar's daughter," indeed.

[chudogg]

It all brings back Clinton flashbacks. Character matters.

Say what you want about charachter, but untill we get about dozen or so women who claim to have been raped or attemted rape by Arnold there is NO comparison to Clinton

[Pearls Before Swine]

He probably did pat a couple of fannies here and there. I don't think he was looking for action..

And what if he was? He was a great looking guy having a good time in Hollywood. I bet he had a 95% "hit rate." And if he got a little carried away 25 years ago, I don't see the big deal as long as he did understand that "no means no" and didn't force himself on anyone. No one has alleged that he has, and every rock is being unturned by the Dem-bots.

Unlike many politicians, Arnold didn't use the threat of his position to badger for sex. Clinton and his Arkansas State Police procurers come to mind.

[Timesink]

Big fat F-cup ping

[Welsh Rabbit]

Exactly. A few months ago I was at a bar with a buxom waitress and witnessed a tipsy patron ask her that same question. She told him off and a couple of minutes later the bouncer came over and convinced him it might be best for him to leave.

[Sabertooth]

Ms Richardson has alleged that Mr Schwarzenegger grabbed her and pulled her on to his knee before squeezing her nipple while she interviewed him for an LWT film show, The Big Screen, at the Dorchester hotel in London in December 2000.

< -snip- >

While he was quick to admit to having "behaved badly" towards some women in the past, his campaign managers denied these included Ms Richardson. Sheryl Main, a Hollywood publicist who was with the actor during Ms Richardson's interview with him, insisted the presenter approached him, cupped her right breast and said: "What do you think of these?"

< -snip- >

In her original interview with The Sun about the alleged incident, she said: "He kept saying how fantastic I looked and staring at my boobs. When I went to shake his hand he pulled me on to his knee, saying, 'I really want to know if your breasts are real.' I told him they are an F-cup. Before I knew what was happening he circled my nipple with his finger and gave it a squeeze. He then said, 'Yeah, they are real.' I stood up and said, 'You're making me nervous.'

"He told me not to be nervous and pulled me back on his knee. I said, 'Can I go, please?' He said, 'Yeah', and patted my bum as I went off."

The second pic could be problematic...

[Timesink]

And then???

The Larch. The ... Larch.

[Timesink]

Mr Schwarzenegger is also accused of being a Nazi sympathiser after the emergence of an old interview transcript in which he appeared to praise Hitler - an allegation he immediately denied, stating that his quotes had been taken out of context.

Note that despite having had plenty of time to find out that The New York Times recanted the Hitler story, The Independent intentionally ran with it anyway. This is a hit piece by a far-left newspaper.

[L.N. Smithee]

Lynn Harwood-Campbell, a true-blue Republican with two sons in the military, was typical of the doting fans he encountered on Friday. After waiting for two hours with a gaggle of girlfriends in the sizzling heat of California's Central Valley to catch a glimpse of her idol, she told reporters: "He can grope me any time. What would you prefer, a cigar with Bill Clinton, or a grope with Arnold Schwarzenegger?"

Is the person who said this a Freeper? I will NOT name names, but I sure have suspicions about who here might have said such a thing.

[mass55th]

"Just as pathetic as defending this low-life liberal. How can you excuse this behavior? Because he apologized? Geeze."

Geeze is right! The apology wasn't to me, it was to the woman he allegedly groped. It's up to them whether they want to forgive him. I can't get worked up over the grab-assing of some women 20-30 years ago, especially when they didn't have the balls to say anything when it happened. Most of the woman making the allegations won't even give their names, so how important can their claims be? They don't even have the nerve to show their faces on camera or face Arnold with their accusations. It's easy to claim someone did something to you. It's another thing to stare them in the face and say it.

I don't live in California, and wouldn't vote for Arnold if I did. I didn't say what he did was right, I said that at least he didn't hire detectives to intimidate his accusers like Clinton did. Where in my comment did I say I defended his behavior? At least Arnold admitted to his bad behavior which is a hell of alot more than old Billy Jeff did.

[Delta 21]

She really looks like she is being harrased in those shots.

[Dante3]

As I understand the alleged groping happened a long time ago. Don't liberals believe in rehabilitation, that a person can change?

I know of several persons who have turned their life around. In Clinton's case, he continued in his bad behavior.

[mrsmith]

I guess that's the other one- the one who has a morning talk show and conducts her interviews on a bed.

The British are different.

[Friend of thunder]

An F-cup???

Pictures?

Maybe something like this.