Steven Seagal Accused of 1993 Rape
Two women have accused Steven Seagal of sexual misconduct, including a rape that one of the women claimed took place in 1993. The accounts, first reported by The Wrap, describe an alleged pattern where the actor would invite women to places where they expected to find multiple people, only to allegedly see only him; he’d then allegedly advance on them. The women said they both filed reports with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Regina Simons, 43, said she first encountered Seagal at a casting call for what would be the 1994 film On Deadly Ground. The production was casting Native Americans, and the actress, who’s of Navajo and Sioux descent, borrowed regalia from her family. Seagal allegedly spotted her and introduced himself, inviting her and her brother, who’d accompanied her to the audition, on set. When she said she had a headache, she said the actor offered her a massage that included rubbing her hand and neck – which she felt was odd.
After she shot her scene, Seagal allegedly invited her to what he described as a wrap party at his home. When she arrived, she said no one else was home and that he took her into another room. “He took me into this room and then just closed the door and started kissing me,” she claimed. “He then took my clothes off and before I knew it he was on top of me, raping me. … I wasn’t sexually active yet. People always talk about fight-or-flight. But no one talks about the freeze.” She claimed she cried the whole time. Several people, including her mother and a bishop, corroborated that Simons had told them about the assault.
Another woman, Dutch former model Faviola Davis, told The Wrap she’d gone for a “private audition” in 2002 for a Genghis Khan movie that ultimately was never made. Davis said she had expected a casting agent and a production assistant to be there, but when she arrived, she said she found only Seagal and a security guard. She’d been instructed to wear a bikini for the role, and Seagal allegedly asked her to disrobe so he could see her figure and then asked to act out a romantic scene.
“I expressed that I was uncomfortable with that especially since I was in my bikini,” Dadis told The Wrap. “And then he started pinching my nipples and grabbing my crotch area with his other hand. I quickly yelled, ‘This audition is over!'” She attempted to leave but the guard reportedly blocked her exit; she claimed Seagal motioned that it was OK for her to leave and she did. Multiple people, including Dadis’ mother, said she’d told them about the alleged incident, which she also described on Instagram.
A rep for Seagal did not immediately respond to Rolling Stone’s request for comment.
LAPD reps said they were not able to speak about Seagal and Dadis’ complaints. A spokeswoman for the police told the site that it was investigating a separate case regarding the actor that allegedly took place in 2005.
More than half a dozen women in Hollywood have accused Seagal of sexual misconduct, including Portia de Rossi, Julianna Margulies, Katherine Heigl and Jenny McCarthy, among others. Similarly, several ex-assistants have levied accusations against the actor. A rep for Seagal told The Daily Beast that McCarthy’s claim was “completely false,” and a lawyer addressed two of the assistants who’ve accused him, saying Kayden Nguyen’s accusation was “complete fabrication” and that the actor had “no knowledge” of another woman’s claims. The Wrap reported that the lawyer no longer represented the actor.