Earlier tonight, The Wrap reported that Murray Miller, a writer and producer on shows like Girls, King Of The Hill, and American Dad, had been accused of sexual assault by actress Aurora Perrineau. Perrineau—whose credits include Jem And The Holograms and Passengers, and who’s the daughter of Lost actor Harold Perrineau—brought her accusations to the West Hollywood police department tonight, filing a report on the alleged assault. According to The Wrap, Perrineau gave a polygraph statement earlier this year in which she said that Miller raped her in 2012, when she was 17.
Meanwhile, Miller has been vigorously defended by his attorney, who claimed that Perrineau was attempting to extort his client, and by his former bosses, Girls showrunners Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner. The two issued the following statement of support earlier this evening, touching on the importance that women continue to come forward with stories of assault and harassment, even as they filed Perrineau’s claims among “the 3 percent of assault cases that are misreported every year”:
During the windfall of deeply necessary accusations over the last few months in Hollywood, we have been thrilled to see so many women’s voices heard and dark experiences in this industry justified. It’s a hugely important time of change and, like every feminist in Hollywood and beyond, we celebrate. But during every time of change there are also incidences of the culture, in its enthusiasm and zeal, taking down the wrong targets. We believe, having worked closely with him for more than half a decade, that this is the case with Murray Miller. While our first instinct is to listen to every woman’s story, our insider knowledge of Murray’s situation makes us confident that sadly this accusation is one of the 3 percent of assault cases that are misreported every year. It is a true shame to add to that number, as outside of Hollywood women still struggle to be believed. We stand by Murray and this is all we’ll be saying about this issue.