Actress Rosario Dawson Accused of Transphobic Assault in Lawsuit

Photo by: John Nacion/STAR MAX/IPx 2018 9/22/18 Rosario Dawson at the Tribeca Talks Panel
John Nacion/STAR MAX/IPx

Hollywood actress Rosario Dawson and several members of her family have reportedly been accused of a transphobic assault against a handyman who was hired to work on the star’s California home, according to a lawsuit filed in a Los Angles court on Friday.

According to NBC News, Dedrek Finley, 55, alleges Rosario Dawson and three of her family members frequently accosted him with transphobic verbal language. Finley alleges that in April 2018 the actress’s mother dragged him through a first-floor window by his arm and physically assaulted him as the actress attempted to pin him down.

“Once Mr. Finley was lying helpless on the ground outside, Isabel, who is substantially larger than Mr. Finley, got on top of Mr. Finley’s body and began punching him,” the lawsuit reportedly states. “While beating Mr. Finley, Isabel screamed, ‘You’re not so much of a man now,’ which was a clear and denigrating reference to Mr. Finley’s gender identity.”

In a statement to NBC News, Finley’s lawyer, Tasha AlyssaHill, said “in response to Mr. Finley’s complaints, Rosario would respond to Mr. Finley, ‘You’re a grown woman.’”

“As his attorney, we have reached out numerous times to the Dawson family attorney seeking to resolve this before having to file suit,” the lawyer said.

“He just wants to get some sort of compensation, so he can get back on track with his life so he can put this incident behind him,” she added.

Dawson, the girlfriend of 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), has not commented on the accusations.

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