Back in September, Ryan Phillippe’s ex-girlfriend sued him after she claimed he violently assaulted her in his home. Go here to re-read Elsie Hewitt’s original claims. She had only been dating Ryan for a short time, and he got pissy with her at a party, so she went by his house later to get her stuff and move on. She claims that was when he attacked her and threw her down a staircase. She had a witness – a girlfriend who was there – and she went to the police, although little came of it, which is why she filed the civil suit. Ryan responded by denying the entire thing and announcing plans to countersue Elsie for defamation. Then the situation went quiet for a few months. On Wednesday, Ryan tweeted this:
to be clear:
i have not had a “girlfriend” for over a year now & have barely dated anyone since.
any other labels or mis- characterizations, from media or gossips, related to anyone, briefly, connected to my personal life, are false.
happy thanksgiving.
— dr. philz (@RyanPhillippe) November 23, 2017
He tweeted that as news of his “countersuit” broke. This is tricky, because different sites are characterizing this in different ways. People Magazine says that Ryan IS countersuing Elsie, but even in People’s article, it’s pretty clear that he’s just filing a legal response to her suit, which is not the same as a countersuit…?
Ryan Phillippe is suing his former girlfriend Elsie Hewitt after she alleged that the actor had brutally beaten her this summer. The actor, 43, filed the documents on Nov. 17 as a response to Hewitt’s own lawsuit that claimed he had been abusive toward her.
In court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Phillippe’s lawsuit denies the allegations, claiming Hewitt “broke into Phillippe’s home in the middle of the night without permission” and “fabricated a story in an unjustified attempt to extort money” from him to help her modeling career. PEOPLE has reached out to both Phillippe’s and Hewitt’s attorneys.
Phillippe alleges Hewitt, 21, made a false police report accusing him of injuring her in the early morning of July 4 when the alleged incident is said to have taken place. The actor also claims Hewitt was “extremely intoxicated.”
He further says in his suit that he “was raised by women in a household where women’s rights, feminism, and advocacy were very much at the forefront, and he is sickened to have been falsely accused of domestic violence.”
E! News says that Ryan’s legal response to the suit is that he’s asking for Elsie’s lawsuit to be dismissed. E! also spoke to Elsie Hewitt’s lawyer, Keith A. Fink, who said:
“If the claims were defamatory why didn’t Mr. Phillippe sue Elsie for defamation like he claimed he would? How is there not ‘one shred of truth’ in her complaint? There was an independent witness who supports Elsie. This witness spoke with Blast. The pictures confirm her injuries. The text messages corroborate her story. If Mr. Phillippe is such a feminist why did his ex-girlfriend seek a restraining order? This pleading is amateur hour but the defense doesn’t have anything to work with here. I’m looking forward to Mr. Phillips’s [sic] deposition where he can under the penalty of perjury answer for his actions.”
Fink makes a solid point – after the outrage about Elsie Hewitt “defaming” him and threatening to sue her in September, what changed? Why didn’t he actually sue her for defamation? Why this weaksauce legal response, asking the court to dismiss? Hmmm…
Photos courtesy of WENN, Instagram.
I noticed when these celebs are accused of doing something they always “threaten” to sue for slander or defamation.
Celebs cant win defamations suits in the USA. They need to prove someone lied and then that they acted with “actual malice”.
From a legal pov it would be insane to actually sue because a) you will loose and that will b)only make you look guilty.
Good point and also shortly after this all the Harvey Weinstein et al shit hit the fan. Not a good environment to be victim shaming for Ryan.
they can WIN A SUIT ,only if there are strings for them to pull ,by proving sb lied wont really work
Threats are usually enough, sadly. It’s often a bluff but when you don’t have the money or power to fight it’s enough to keep you quiet because you can’t take the risk.
I’ve read so much crap about Marty Singer, the lawyer for Cosby and Singer and Masterson, and more. Total scumbag. I wish he’d go down too.
So true see: Kevin Hart.
He was yelling at the internet that he was getting his lawyers ready to sue regarding that video of him with another woman. Looks like he just paid out.
Again??!!?? Didn’t he just have a baby?? How is he still out there runnin the streets…ugh…I can’t….
So sick of these 43 year olds going after the 21 year olds. They do it because think these girls are able to be manipulated and molded, and too often they are right. Bu they’re often wrong especially in this day and age. And young girls learn fast not to go with these man childs who usually have a drug problem and other really negative issues as well.
My first thought when I saw this article was how does he make his money? What kind of money does he really have (that would attract these young girls)? Does he even work all that much? The last thing I would want as a 21 yr old is a boyfriend with a grown daughter a couple years younger than me. Ugh.
His accuser also said she witnessed him doing lots of drugs, including steroids. Very messy. Here’s hoping she gets her day in court. Btw, what happened to his engagement? I’m guessing she wised up and the restraining order against him refers to her..
I believe her.
I believe her, too.
And lol to the ‘she wasn’t my girlfriend’. Dude, call the ‘relationship’ whatever you want, she didn’t deserve what you did.
Makes him sound 16 instead of in his 40’s.
I believe her too.
I don’t believe her
Isn’t useless for famous people to sue for defamation? It’s almost impossible to win.
It is. For celebs the burden of proof is so high. Almost impossible to win.
Not impossible, but you will spend years and millions doing it. It’s only worth even trying if the person accused of defamation has millions. Even if you are awarded it, it will likely be cut down.
Couple that with the Streisand Effect and it’s simply just not worth it unless it’s something super heinous.
Yup. They must prove “actual malice” in many cases, which is exceptionally hard to do.
He has always been a bit of a douche – wasn’t his substance abuse and behaviour the reason Reese left him?
I always thought it was cheating, but maybe it was all of the above.
Not to mention the cheating
I think it escalated to the pt where she knew his cheating would affect her career and status in Hollywood. Much the same as it did for Garner. There was no hiding it anymore, because dude got shameless with it.
Ah – I forgot about the cheating.
I was always under the impression that he didn’t like that her career really took off and his didn’t. And cheating.
You are correct about the procedure-it is the Phillippe’s required response as the defendant to allegations made in the plaintiff’s civil complaint. It is not a countersuit.
She’s not my girlfriend! What are you 12?
she doesn’t look too far from 12.
In legal jargon, what Phillippe filed was just an “answer” to the complaint that Hewitt filed. Unless it expressly states claims he is filing against her (which it doesn’t seem to do), it does not constitute a countersuit and People’s headline is dead wrong. It’s merely his initial response to her original claims.