Another Woman Has Accused Steven Seagal Of Inappropriate Behavior

CSI: Miami star Eva LaRue is the latest woman to accuse Steven Seagal of sexual misconduct, joining actresses Julianna Margulies and Portia de Rossi and Inside Edition correspondent Lisa Guerrero. LaRue spoke out about Seagal in an exclusive interview with Deadline.

LaRue told the outlet that the alleged incident occurred in 1990, when she was 22. The actress says she was sent by her agent to Seagal's home for a movie audition. She recalls being hesitant to go, but says her agent told her the location was being used only because there weren't studio offices yet.

According to LaRue, the meeting began with two producers and a casting director in the room. When Seagal asked her to accompany him to another room to get the script, he immediately locked the doors behind them.

"[H]e comes towards me and he’s opening his weirdo kimono. There’s no script or anything. Just him standing there with his kimono open. He had underwear on, thank God, and he was bare everywhere else. And it was clear he was not just getting cozy," LaRue told Deadline.

The actress said that despite Seagal's protests, she was able to exit the room before he could touch her. LaRue also alleges that she told her agent about the incident immediately, but he didn't take action.

She also emphasized that, as more and more allegations of sexual misconduct in Hollywood emerge each day, it's important to remember that this isn't the first time women are coming forward. Rather, it's the first time they're finally being taken seriously.

"I told this story a thousand times, and finally it matters, I’m not 'suddenly' coming forward. All these women who have accused Harvey Weinstein aren’t 'suddenly' coming forward. These are not new stories that girls are 'suddenly' coming out with," LaRue told Deadline. "These are stories we’ve been telling at dinner parties, and to our friends, our family members, our agents and our fellow actors for years. But nobody cared until now, and now people are 'suddenly' coming forward."

Much like Weinstein's behavior was an "open secret" in Hollywood, it appears that the predatory behavior of other prominent men was also well-known. Now that the stories of so many women have been publicized, the next question is what steps will be taken to ensure no other women are sent into potentially dangerous situations? And even if they are, their stories should matter the first time they tell them, not decades later.

If you have experienced sexual violence and are in need of crisis support, please call the RAINN Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).