Los Angeles Now Has a Legal Task Force Just for Hollywood Sex Abuse Cases

A team of specially trained deputy district attorneys will evaluate any cases referred for criminal prosecution.
Jackie Lacey.
By Mel Melcon/Getty Images.

Los Angeles County is taking Hollywood’s flood of sexual misconduct allegations seriously. So seriously, in fact, that District Attorney Jackie Lacey has established a special task force of prosecutors to evaluate and work on these cases.

“In response to the widespread allegations of sexual abuse in the entertainment industry, I have established a task force of specially trained deputy district attorneys who are ready to evaluate these cases if any are referred to my office for criminal prosecution,” Lacey said in a statement Thursday. “I have assigned the group of veteran sex crimes prosecutors to work together to ensure a uniformed approach to the legal review and possible prosecution of any case that meets both the legal and factual standards for criminal prosecution. To date, we have not received any cases from law enforcement for possible criminal filing. We are in communication with the Los Angeles and Beverly Hills police departments.”

Over the past several weeks, the number of industry figures accused of misconduct and abuse has ballooned. Stars including Jeremy Piven, Steven Seagal, and Louis C.K. have all been accused more recently, which might explain why the district attorney’s office felt compelled to prepare itself. (Piven has denied the allegations against him, while Seagal has yet to comment on the recent allegations.)

So far, Lacey said, law enforcement has not sent along any cases—but multiple Hollywood figures are already under investigation, including Harvey Weinstein, James Toback, and Ed Westwick. (All three of these men have denied the allegations against them.) Terry Crews has also filed a police report against an unnamed Hollywood executive, whom Crews says groped him at an industry function.