The 17 year old girl who has accused Dennis Hopper's son, Henry Hopper of rape held a press conference with her new lawyer and stated that since she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by Hopper that she has attempted suicide, dropped out of school, required hospitalization for drug and mental issues and has not worked as a model after consistently working for years. She says that beginning in April 2011, Hopper fed her drugs and booze to make her complaint and then raped her. This happened on 7 or 8 different occasions. This is where I wonder how come she did not stop going back after the first assault. Hopper wrote on her Facebook page about how he wanted her to act more like a schoolgirl when he was having sex with her so he obviously felt it was consensual. Of course he is 22 and she is 17. She says that she was unable to talk to anyone about it or report it until after she went through therapy because she felt like she was the one to blame.
Well, I'd say she kept coming back because she thought he loved her. Lots of girls don't know what love is, and haven't ever had APPROPRIATE attention from a father figure, so they think any dude who wants to sleep with them must love them. I know of whence I speak.
ReplyDeleteIt's been driving me crazy all day, so I'm back to correct - I believe it should say "of which I speak". Sorry - nerd alert!
DeletePotentially silly question - why does this require a press conference?
ReplyDeleteI hope she can give other girls the courage to break out of abusive relationships; if she even inspires one girl, I'd say the press conference was worth it.
ReplyDeleteNow, I don't know anything about this, other than what I've just read here, so this could also be a money grab. But I'd prefer to think it's a public service.
so she was 16 when this happened? in california, the age of consent is 18, so it's rape no matter how you cut it up. he should be in jail.
ReplyDeleteI think you make a valid point Enty. I'm not prepared to reach any conclusions.. yet.
ReplyDeleteI read (I think on msnbc) that he told her that he was going to get his dad to get her a job.
ReplyDeleteDisgusting (although I too wonder why she went back several times).
Blerg... I just reread what I wrote. I meant use his dad's name to get her a job. Dur.
DeleteSee, this is where the details don't matter as far as her going back several times. If the woman or girl, in this case, is unable to give consent, you know, because she's been drugged and is unconscious during the act, it's RAPE. This douche deserves to lose all of his famous daddy's money, and I hope he ends up in prison to boot.
ReplyDeleteThats what i was thinking. If she was drugged, it have taken a while to realuze what was happening. Its a terrible story, but of course we dont have all the facts. I wish her well.
DeleteI'm having a hard time with this bit of information. I think there is way more to the story than what is printed here. Not sure that matters, but whenever something like this happens (calling a press conference?!) I wonder. If it were legit, why wouldn't she just go through the court system, instead of taking it public? Court of public opinion? Damage his reputation? Sympathy grab for her? As sad as it is, I am always suspect when situations like this go public, without us having all the info.
ReplyDeleteSilly Girl - courts are corrupt. Judges are often rapists and abusers themselves. By starting this in a press conference gives a warning to corrupt officials that this will get ugly. Corruption depends on secrets. Hopefully she will get some justice and protection for others.
DeleteIdk, I think it's kind of a stretch to say judges are "often" rapists and abusers. Yes, there are some occasional bad judges out there (e.g. that Texas judge who beat his handicapped daughter) but I think the vast majority are generally okay people. I see the press conference as more a of public-shaming type of action. Like, she's pissed and wants to shout to the rooftops what a scumbag he is, so everyone knows, and to warn other people to watch out for him, so he can't pull this crap on other girls.
DeleteI hear ya Silly Girl, and think it must explain why her mother has chosen the lawsuit route. If there was anything approaching a reasonable case against him, he'd be sitting in jail awaiting trial as we speak.
ReplyDeleteFrufra and MadLyb, well said. We have all worked hard to get rape in its many forms recognized. Worth following up on, Enty.
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ReplyDeleteFrom what I remember of Dennis Hopper's will Henry didn't inherit anything. Only the baby daughter and the estranged wife were the ones to cash in.
ReplyDeleteI doubt it is a money grab since he might not have much. Maybe it is to get the LA DA motivated to invetigate and get some charges pressed.
Yeah, why was Hopper such a dick about the money? He cant take it with him!
DeleteGood morning everyone! I'm a long time lurker who is just starting to make an occasional comment.
ReplyDeleteThis is a disturbing bit of news. Thing is, having once been a 17-year old, I can understand her going back again and again. Lots of teens have a low sense of self.
That said, if every time she went back to him, the had drugs and sex, quite possibly, in her mind she thought, "Oh he lurves me." Maybe she thought he was in love with her. It's not only very young women who equate going to bed with someone as being in love.
That said, she does need to take responsibility for her own actions. If you spend time with someone and it ALWAYS ends up with drugs and sex, you know the drill and can't play the victim. Because you knew what you were walking into.
Too many times I've listened to friends moan about how the guy they "lurve" only wants to F*(*(k. My thought has always been, well if that's the only thing he wants to do with you, you have two options.
1. Deal with the fact that he's only looking at you as a bed partner.
or
2. Walk away.
People who only want to bed you, don't think about doing anything else with you. No amount of moaning or whining is going to change that.
She went to bed with him, what 7 or 8 times? You kinda think that after the first or second time, she'd realize that this kid is only into one thing,
Yes, people do crappy things to each other. However, sometimes you have to look at the sitch and realize that you're allowing them to do it.
She could have just not continued to spend any time with him.
@Blondie...lol, we use "lurve" all of the time in our house. We use it to mean love x 100
DeleteI disagree that NO 15 year old is able to consent to sex.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 15, I had my first sexual relationship with a guy who was 20. It went on for a few weeks. Yes, the first time I was drunk, and so was he, but I was happy to do it again. When he ended the relationship I was a bit stung, but not too upset. I shrugged and moved on.
I remember the whole episode quite fondly. I do not feel like he used me any more than I used him, I knew what I was doing, I was definitely consenting to it, and in spite of him being "an adult" and me being "a minor" it was most certainly not rape, except in the most technical sense.
I was in a similar situation but I was 17 and he 28. We dated for 3 years and I learned a lot. I have always been into older guys - maybe part of being an only child and daddy's girl... Idk
DeleteI agree. I dated a man 8 years older then me for two years in high school. 16 years later we're still good friends and there was nothing damaging about the relationship.
DeleteIt does matter that she went back several times. Regardless if she is 16 years old, this isn't some babe in the woods. She knew at least after the first 2 times that this was wrong and she wasn't comfrtable with how he was treating her.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that there were drugs and booze involved, speaks volumes about both parties. Why would she want to be with a guy who kept her drugged and high while they were having consentual sex?
Legally she is underage and unable to comply. But realistically, IMO she knew what she was doing and was doing so willingly, until something happedn that made her feel bad about what was happening.
The age of consent should be lowered, at 16 years old, you know what you are doing. You may not be able to comprehend all possible consequences (most adults can't do it either!), but you know what you are doing at 16. Folks this is 2013 NOT 1913.
@MsPink - disagree. You do not know what you're doing at 16! Science has proven that the parts of your brain that understand longterm consequences are not fully developed at that age. Teenagers literally, physiologically, are not able to process complex decision-making and have mastery over impulse control. There is a reason why, legally, parents are responsible for the people they bring into the world until they're 18. We are morally obligated to protect young people until they have the tools to make adult decisions.
ReplyDeleteDon't even get me started on the criminal prosecution of children! This is a subject near and dear to my heart - we need to advocate for these children, not prosecute them.
I remind myself of this all the time, @frufra, thank you for saying it so well.
DeleteBlondie, you and your victim blaming can go back to lurking, thanks.
ReplyDeleteITA jax. That was some victim blaming and victim shaming. Recognize it for what it is - and why you're willingly doing it. You don't excuse the bad guy (or girl).
DeleteLots of people are blaming the victim on this post. why did u only call out Blondie? I guess its easy to pick on the new guys. people are allowed to express opinions that differ from yours
DeleteThis is weird timing as this suit was originally filed last summer and reported by TMZ
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tmz.com/2012/07/31/henry-hopper-rape-lawsuit-dennis-hopper-15-year-old-minor/
Yeah, I thought it sounded familiar. Thanks PV.
DeleteSorry Frufra, I'm on the other side on this too. People don't actually fully understand the consequences of their actions until about age 20, when the frontal lobe matures. Doesn't mean we shouldn't be making choices before then, and this girl clearly made hers. That is all.
ReplyDelete@Frufra, good points. There is another side to be considered too I think. It wasn't until relatively recent modern society that younger teens were considered "minors". Historically, teens marrying and starting families as early as 14 wasn't considered unusual. Another point, the "legal" age of consent varies throughout the world, so realistically can only be considered an arbitrary designation based on local custom.
ReplyDeleteI'm not trying to make a case for anything in particular. Just take it for what it's worth.
Idk I am trying to find more info on this and all I can find is exactly what is written her, except her age ranges from 15-17 while Hopper's stays at 22.
ReplyDeleteI also found that she had gone to the police and filed a report when it actually happened, this isn't the first time she is coming forward with these allegations.
The age isn't as bad as I thought, I thought Hopper was in in his 30's. There does seem to be something a little fishy with this-which is horrible to say- but they were exchanging Facebook emails about what they wanted to do and how he wanted her to act, and she did go back possibly more times then just the 7 or 8 she said.
Love can fuck with your brain, but so can money and a woman scnorned.
Cee Kay - if we're going to cut anybody some slack in this world, shouldn't it be a 15 year old girl? She was 15 - probably a freshman in high school - when this shit happened. A 15 year old girl lured into a sexual relationship with a 20 year old man. We should be ashamed as a society if we think there's any way this scenario is OK.
ReplyDeleteThis!!!
Delete@phoenix - I hear what you're saying, but please remember that, as a society, we were a-ok with slavery for a long time, and thought that beating one's wife and children were well within the rights of a man - he legally owned them, after all, in the not-too-distant past.
ReplyDeleteListen, I was raised in a family where people got slapped around, and I was a wild child at 15. I thought I was capable of making my own decisions and being an adult. But I have learned through experience and education that my previous worldview was incorrect. As a parent, educator, and child advocate, I have to stand up for the worth of all children, and help give them the chance to grow and develop into well-adjusted adults.
Spend some time in middle school and high school, and then let me know if you think those young adults are ready to make and be responsible for adult decisions. I love kids, and I know some wonderful teenagers, but they're not adults yet, period.
Thanks, Reeses. Love right back at ya. Have a great Wednesday!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Dennis isn't here to see this mess. :(
ReplyDelete@Fryfra.. "I was raised in a family where people got slapped around, and I was a wild child at 15."
ReplyDeleteI can relate, except that my wild child days didn't begin until 16. I guess I was a late bloomer, lol. Thankfully, I turned out ok despite the early painful experiences.
I appreciate your thoughtful response.
Frufra - so true. Make every young girl read Red Flags of Love Fraud so they know what's happening. There are chemical bonding reasons why they go back. Knowledge is power.
ReplyDelete@Frufra,
ReplyDeleteI disagree. Strongly. At 15 years old I knew that if I had sex, there was a possiblility of getting pregnancy or getting an STD. Also, if anyone found out, people would talk. i knew htat getting pregnant would destroy my life and prevent me from going to college. I also knew that no boy would stick around with a pregnant teenage girlfriend.... all lives involved would be destroyed! A bit melodramatic, but hey at 15 that is how life can be at times.
Those facts (real or imagined) scared shit out of me and were the only deterrents from having sex. I KNEW the consequences of having sex as a teen. By, 17 years old I said screw it and did it anyway, and I knew to have the guy use a condom, which I provided (I'll be damned if I put my fate in the had of a teenaged boy!)
See how that worked, logic reasoning and personal responsibility were all full functioning at the tender age of 15. All that science... right. Then there is reality.
Of course teens need parental guidence, hell I know some adults who need guidence well into their 20's. Not all teens are underdeveloped oversized babies. This line of thinking and treatment has stunted the growth of many a teen. Therefore, I believe that adults need to treat them like the young adults that they are.
That is your experience. Not all teenagers have that type of maturity to think that way. Just because that's how you thought as a teenager doesn't mean ALL teenagers have the same thought patterns. I have met some teenagers who are very mature and some who have the maturity level of a 5-year-old.
DeleteThat is your experience. Not all teenagers have that type of maturity to think that way. Just because that's how you thought as a teenager doesn't mean ALL teenagers have the same thought patterns. I have met some teenagers who are very mature and some who have the maturity level of a 5-year-old.
DeleteI agree that a 15 is able to consent sex. Obviously, unless she's drugged but that can be for all women. I don't about this case, I rather not comment about it because I don't know if she's a victim or a money grabbing person. Though I rather believe she's a victim because I can't imagine someone willingly going through all this just for publicity. I agree that a press conference would not be my route of choice, but then again, I don't know what was discussed between the girl, her parents and lawyer.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I don't think anyone at age 20 is an adult. Maybe at 23, 24, we start to be more grown ups, but this concept that 19 is teenager, 20 is adult, to me, just crazy.
@Reeses, I love you girl and your comments here, but I don't think anyone is this thread is being rape apologists, that's a little strong. Nobody said it is her fault, she's just looking for money, etc, some just argue if a 15 year old is able or not to consent sex. I live in a very in a very sexist society where men think it is ok to grab a woman, that when she says no, she's just plying hard to get, specially if she drank, so calling someone a rape apologist is serious.
and @jax, you have all the right to disagree with blondie and to say so, but I think it's a little unnecessary to tel l her to not comment anymore. I believe we all have to right to voice our opinions, so long as it doesn't offend others
... and now, I'll get punched...
WhiteLily, you won't get punched for expressing your opinion. Most people appreciate thoughtful responses such as yours. I happen to agree with Frufra and with __-__=__ (may I call you Equation Person?) recommendation of the book "Red Flags of Love Fraud".
DeleteThank you Agent. Yes, I am Equation.
Delete@Blondie! I for one do not see your opinion as victim shaming. Never once did Blondie do that but more than anything spoke subjectively of what it's like to be a 15 yr. old. and the way you make your decisions. And seriously Jax just cuz you don't like it doesn't mean you can SHAME a new poster into never voicing their opinion again. THIS is what people complain about most on this site. And no it wasn't bullying but it was damn snotty.
ReplyDeleteI knew what it meant to have sex at 15. I did not HAVE any but I knew when I hung out over at Charles house and drank beer with him and smoked pot and he made out with me that all he wanted to do was have sex. But I chose not to.
I think our biggest problem is we treat children like babies because we cannot accept that they are sexual beings. 12 yeah, far too young..But (and I do not condone) 13 yrs old is the average age girls loose their virginity. Yep.
Knowing that, dear public, let's arm them with as much information as possible, support sports more strongly for girls and have an open dialogue because that has shown to help delay then having sex due to a healthy self esteem.
I am npot shaming this girl and I really feel for her. But there is something more here than meets the eye when she repeatly returned. That dings my bullshit meter right there.
@White lilly, I think you make a good point re: age. There's chronological AND emotional age to be considered here. It's not at all uncommon for younger girls to be emotionally on par with older boys. It's just how it is.
ReplyDelete@phoenix, thanks!
ReplyDelete@Sherry, you said it way better than me, lol, that's what I was trying to say, lol :)
I don't want anybody to feel afraid or anything for commenting here
i don't know what happened but he never forced her to comeback.Maybe he uses her!
ReplyDeletemy comment was directed toward Ms. Pink Kitty's second comment.
ReplyDeleteFolks, just so you know, I'm not about giving youthful offenders a lollipop and a time out. And I am an earnest advocate of full disclosure sex ed. I'm not naive enough to think that teenagers are going to be convinced to not have sex. Hell, I actually think it's a healthy, normal thing to do with members of your own peer group.
ReplyDeleteBut I have simply seen and heard too much to continue believing that children should be legally considered adults and held accountable as such. Parents are given a sacred responsibility to care for and raise their children, and not just when they're babies. I'm not saying we should baby our teenagers. But I am saying that we need to be responsible for guiding them into adulthood.
Rape victims don't want to blab it to the world. In fact, Rape victims never want to talk about it and usually internalize for years and years. With the help of therapy over a long period of time, then they may finally talk about it. To have a press conference, and to have ALLOWED this to happen to her 7 or 8 times, kinda tells me something smells fishy in "looking for attention and money" ville.
ReplyDeleteCrila16 your comment is not entirely correct, not all victims stay shamed in silence for years. Yes there are some people that lie or exaggerate things for attention, but not all women who have been raped while under the influence of drugs know what happened until something triggers a memory. , many women that have been assaulted go back to their attackers due to mental abuse or intimidation by their attacker, especially when it's someone they we're familiar with or had a relationship with.
DeleteI think all rape victims should have press conferences and expose the predators among us as a service to other women. Maybe she thought he was going to hurt her again, so made the accusation very public.
ReplyDelete@Lola, my friends and I use "lurve" to mean seriously in lust, not love.
ReplyDelete@Jax-whoa there! I am NOT blaming the victim. BUT, I do know what it's like to be a teenager with RAGING hormones and wanting to do it really, really, really and I do mean really badly without thought to consequences.
I didn't because I could hear my mom's voice in my head screaming at me. Not every teen does that. there were teens in my JHS and HS that were doing it like rabbits.
Nor am I "Slut Shaming."
Look at the facts, it wasn't a one-time thing. She went back on her own violition 7-8 times. I say that she has to share the responsibility of her actions.
As for going back to lurking. Dude, or Chick, I'm a NY'er. Once we're here, we are HERE.
So go bounce your troll behaviour on someone else. Or as we say in NYC, "BITE ME."
@Plrtz glrb @Sherry, @White Lily and all, thank you very much.
hmmm....how many people here have actually BEEN raped? press conference? no thanks. the trial was quite enough humiliation for me.
ReplyDeleteI've kneed guys in the balls, punched them and almost threw one over a staircase. Just sayin'
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ReplyDeleteI believe that suggesting one take responsibility for their actions is not the same as saying that what happened is their fault.
ReplyDeleteHere's my thought process. I was attacked in my apt. in NYC. I am responisble for that because I left my window open. Did I DESERVE to be beaten and robbed? No. Did I leave my window open again? Nope.
FOR THE LAST TIME!
ReplyDeleteThis occurred 7-8 times. She may have been underage, but she wasn't living under the same roof as the accuser.
If it happens once and it's awful. You DON'T go back.
If you keep meeting him, then there is RESPONSIBILITY on her part for putting herself in that position.
If a guy is an asshat, you know is his an asshat, he keeps doing asshat things to you-GET OUT. GET OUT!
oh grow the fuck up already....if you can't take a comment as a comment instead of some overblown attack to illicit sympathy that "big bully Jax was mean to me" then go kick rocks.
ReplyDeleteSeriously.
It WAS VICTIM SHAMING, period.
@jax I have to say how much I love your take no shit attitude. I always enjoy seeing you pop up in the comments.
Delete@ Jax--feeling better?
ReplyDeleteI don't want to be perceived as blaming the victim, but I think there is way more to the story that none of us could ever know. Technically of course it is statutory rape and if sex can be proven he would be guilty of that. I was 16 when I slept with my first "boyfriend" who was almost 19. Hindsight tells me I should have waited to know him better and longer, but I was a horny teenager and doing what I thought you do in a relationship. When he cheated on me two months later, I was devasted and really depressed for a few months. I had been drunk with him on several occassions and had we smoked pot or taken pills, I guess you could have said he drugged me. Since he was 19 he legally raped me. I'm just saying that it could be that this is just a 15 year old girl learning that when you hook up and give it up to the wrong person that sometimes you get hurt. Please do not take this as me saying that she was not really raped, because maybe it happened exactly like she said. Just started thinking about my own experiences and how it could have been perceived had my parents or I wanted to spin it that way.
ReplyDeleteSorry MAC, but your comments made me cringe and want to hug the 16 year old you and have the 19 year old predator prosecuted for the good of the community. It is illegal to drug an underage girl and then have sex with her. No spin, no hindsight, JUST NO.
ReplyDelete"This happened on 7 or 8 different occasions."
ReplyDelete"This is where I wonder how come she did not stop going back after the first assault."
Everyone jumped on the "going back" part of the sentence published. But "this happened on 7 or 8 different occasions" in no way means she sought him out. Maybe he stalked her.
In any event, I'm completely with frufra. Statutory rape is rape. Just because some of us were exceptionally mature 15-year olds doesn't mean the law shouldn't protect ALL 15-year olds.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHm.. when did this happen? I guess in CA if she is 16 and he is 21 it's legal. Technically. idk. This whole story is so gross. He is so gross. His face is gross. I need a shower.
ReplyDelete@MAC, I completely agree with you. If we all took a look at ourselves, even those who said they were a 'wild child' at age 15, 16....
ReplyDeleteDidn't you ever drink with a guy and then have sex with him? Was he older than 16, 18 or whatever the age of consent was? There were PLENTY of girls I grew up with who's boyfriends were a year or two older (sophomore to senior, junior to freshman in college, etc.) who were having sex. Did it ever get ugly when someone broke up? YUP. DId they/we ever drink with our boyfriends? YUP. Was it still considered illegal? By law, yes, it was. But I know of NO ONE who was prosecuted for it. NOT ONE.
Regarding this case, however, I stick by my original thought: there is NOT enough information here to have it make sense.
Don't forget, even people who pee in public and get busted end up on the sex offenders list. They did not offend anyone sexually, but they are on the list. AND, there is no explanation of their case/situation, just the classification. I'm not negating how serious rape really is, I'm just saying there is NOT enough info here to talk intelligently about it. We are all filling in the gaps with our own prejudices and/or personal experiences. It's not fair to the story if we do that.
SillyGirl you get my vote for the wisest words said. Not discounting others posts of course.
ReplyDeleteHopper mini facts:
ReplyDelete~Hopper dated Lilo
~He was in Restless..written by Jason Lew, who was a classmate at NYU of Bryce Dallas Howard, who produced the film with Daddy( Ron Howard), and Brian Grazer.
~His new movie is Tar and he co stars with Jessica Chastain (the Bryce Dallas Howard look alike).....
It was so horrific that she stopped coming back after the eighth time...
ReplyDeleteyou just dont go back. Im sorry. YOU never ever go back not to that street that house NOTHING. you just dont ever go back
ReplyDeleteI didn't read thru all the comments...buuut I thought Sean Penn had a sone named Hopper...after his good friend Deniis Hopper.
ReplyDelete"This is where I wonder how come she did not stop going back after the first assault. "
ReplyDeleteUnder the age of consent is non consensual. How did you ever pass the bar?
"Potentially silly question - why does this require a press conference?"
ReplyDeleteI think it has to do with the "and has not worked as a model after consistently working for years" portion. Apparently she was either raised by people who saw her as a meal ticket or is publicist savvy ( or both).
Now if this lawsuit started last year, it is possible she did a press conference to see if anyone else fell for him and ended up in the same situation?
I don't know what happened here, and I think a case like this is way to delicate to be decided over gossip sites. I say this because I think it could go either way. I think some 15y.o. can consent, and some can't, which is why the law tries to protect them. I can absolutely understand a vulnerable, already unstable young girl subjecting herself to this, because one of my close friends did something similar. An older man she went on a date with (a producer) pulled the car over and raped her - forcibly. She was destroyed. And, she called him and went back! We were 15. She couldn't drive herself even. But, her thinking is that if she could make a relationship out of this, it would make it better, that her first time wouldn't have been a rape by an awful stranger, but that this man actually cared for her, and it was all okay. It was her warped way of making the rape not happen, of not being a victim of a violent jerk, but a loved one of a movie producer. The assh*le screwed her a few more times then never returned her calls, moved on to the next young vic. My friend nearly wrecked her life after that. Married the first guy she dated afterwards, who was terribly abusive. Not till her divorce over horrific circumstances 15 years later did she realize how lost she had been since that horrible night in the car.
ReplyDeleteSo, yes, I can see a young girl doing this. I have also seen young girls withdraw the concent they did give, because the relationship they wanted didn't happen or didn't last. Problem is, it's too hard to judge whether a teen was competent to consent or not, so we presume, rightfully, they all aren't, given the benefit of the protection to those who need it most: children.
he's an adult, she's not. he's got money and power, she doesn't. she's got a good lawyer and a press conference, expect an out of court settlement and for this to disappear in 3...2..1.. hopper who? what?
ReplyDelete