Ryan Phillippe is "saddened and disgusted" after being accused of domestic violence.
The ‘Shooter’ actor has been left "sickened" after ex-girlfriend Elsie Hewitt filed a $1 million civil lawsuit against him, accusing the 43-year-old star of getting violent after an argument in July and he insists the claims allegations are false.
He said in a statement on Twitter: "I am saddened and disgusted by the false allegations being circulated about me. At the time these allegations were initially made, I fully cooperated with law enforcement and a thorough investigation was conducted.
"As a main, raised by a woman, in a household where women’s rights, feminism and advocacy were very much at the forefront, I am sickened that my name can be found in any article where domestic violence of any kind is being alleged.
"I have been a public figure for almost 25 years and many untrue things have been said or written about me in the past. That is something you learn to accept if you choose a profession like mine," he continued. "This time is different.
"Domestic violence is a very real and tragic issue faced by many women [in] the world over and should never be used to vengefully slander or as a play for monetary gain. This is wrong. This is not who I am. Every one of my accuser’s allegations are false."
The ‘Cruel Intentions’ actor has reportedly hired a civil litigator to fight back against the allegations, and plans to file either a defamation or malicious prosecution lawsuit against the 21-year-old model.
And according to TMZ, Ryan – who has 18-year-old daughter Ava and 13-year-old son Deacon with ex-wife Reese Witherspoon, as well as six-year-old daughter Kai with ex-girlfriend Alexis Knapp – will donate any money he receives from the legal row to domestic violence organisations.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that Paulina Slagter – who dated the ‘Lincoln Lawyer’ star from 2011 to 2016 – filed an "Annoying or Harassing Electronics Communications Harassment Report" against Ryan last March.
She claimed he sent a number of "extremely angry" texts to her after they broke-up, accusing her of being unfaithful and calling her a "whore". The messages were not threatening but they were described as "aggressive".
However, Paulina dropped the case shortly after filing it because she didn’t want the publicity and it is now closed.
Following the allegations from Elsie, Paulina has recently tweeted: "……when there’s smoke….(sic)"
Ryan Phillippe saddened by abuse accusations
