Eliza Dushku bravely opened up this weekend accusing True Lies stunt coordinator Joel Kramer of molesting her when she was just 12 years old.
Since then, the Buffy The Vampire Slayer star’s on-set legal guardian for the film later corroborated Dushku’s account.
Now even more support — in the form of more accusers.
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Laura Albert was a stuntwoman working for Kramer on both True Lies and thriller Virus. She says Kramer seduced her sister’s 16-year-old friend while visiting the Wilmington, North Carolina, set of the latter film in 1997 — just a couple years after what he allegedly did to Eliza.
Albert said in a written statement to Deadline:
“I invited my younger sister to the set as she resided there. I wanted her to come to the set in an effort to mentor her, to show her the motion picture industry from the inside, as she had desired to become a makeup artist. One day after we finished work, I had my sister and her friend, who were 15 and 16 and in the 10th grade, come out to hang with all the stunt personnel as we were going to go go-karting. I wanted her to have the experience of having some ├óΓé¼╦£good clean fun’ in the setting of a professional industry.
That night, after going karting, the stunt department had to leave as we all had early calls the next day. Unbeknownst to me, my boss, Joel Kramer, had lured the girls to go swimming at the pool in his hotel. It wasn’t until a month later that I learned of the events that happened that night.”
Albert says her sister told her later that Kramer approached the girls in the pool and “pulled his dick out and said, ├óΓé¼╦£You cannot handle this,’ and then began to swim towards them.”
“That’s when my sister left. Even today, she feels guilty for having left her friend. My sister ended up leaving and she left her friend there with Joel. Joel had sex with the 16-year-old girl. She was 16. He was 39. His room number was 424.”
Albert says to this day, her sister and her friend use the code “424” to refer to the incident.
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Kramer has since denied Dushku’s claim, telling Deadline:
“These are outlandish, manipulated lies. I never sexually molested her. I’m sick to my stomach. It’s not true. I think she’s making this up in her imagination. This is all lies. Lies, lies, lies. This is just crazy. I treated her like a daughter. We all looked out for her.”
He does, however, admit he “fooled around” with the teenager — but has a somewhat different story:
“I did not invite the two girls up to my room. One girl on her own came to my room as she was legal age… The stunt crew all stay at that hotel. I was swimming laps one early evening and the sister of one of my stunt doubles and her friend showed up at the pool. I did not invite them. They swam around and I finished my laps and went up to my room alone. Period. You don’t know me, but I am not a liar. Thirty minutes later there was a knock at my door and her friend was there and asked to come in. She came in and we fooled around but no intercourse. She left about 1/2 hour later. I honestly did not know she was 17. Tattoos, and yes, pretty. When I found out I was devastated. I also checked with the local laws and found out 16 was the consensual age. It bothered me for years. Yes all was consensual…
Yes, I absolutely almost made a huge mistake with the girl from the Wilmington shoot, as I said, I won’t lie about it”
When asked about Kramer’s version, Albert hit back:
“He’s a liar. I’ll go toe-to-toe with him to his face. He lured the girls after we went to our rooms that night after go-karting. He’s so full of shit.”
Albert says she heard the story at the time from both her sister and the friend, who wishes to remain anonymous:
“I questioned the girl and asked her what happened. She had tears streaming down her eyes. She told me that he had sex with her. I was so angry. After I found out, I called the Wilmington Police Department to see what the law was about statutory rape. I was told that the legal age of consent in the state of N.C. was 16.”
Another stuntman from the film confirms he was present for the call to police. After learning there was no legal recourse, Albert says she went straight to Kramer:
“The next day I went to work and confronted Joel Kramer. It was just he and I in his stunt trailer and I point blank said to him: ├óΓé¼╦£I’m going to ask you one question, and if you lie to me, I am going to let the parents come in and go to the producers and let all of hell rain down on you. Did you have sex with her?’ And he said ├óΓé¼╦£Yes.’ He went on to try to vindicate himself, but it was too late. I said to him, ├óΓé¼╦£I’m not going to go back to LA and talk about this, but if I am asked, I am not going to lie for you.’ And that is how I still feel today.”
Albert adds:
“The saddest part of this whole thing is that when I read the story of Eliza Dushku, this is exactly the same scenario as what happened in North Carolina.”
If only someone had believed Eliza earlier.
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Another stuntwoman has come forward with her own sexual assault allegation against Kramer.
She says when she was new to the business, one night in the late ’70s or early ’80s, she and acquaintance Kramer were both part of a larger group of stunt performers who were having a drink in a bar:
“It was then decided to go to a different place. It was also suggested that we car-pool due to parking. I ended up in Joel Kramer’s vehicle. Other than I knew him by face, we had never worked together, he had never hired me, and we were not dating ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ nor was I looking to date him. It was just a group of stunt people getting together.
When I got into Joel’s vehicle, instead of driving me to the other place, he drove us up into the hills on the south side of Ventura Boulevard into a quiet residential area. He pulled his vehicle over, unzipped his pants, pulled out his penis. He grabbed me by the back of my head and forced my face down onto his penis and came in my mouth. He then released my head and cleaned himself up. I must have as well. I really don’t remember if he gave me tissues. I cannot remember if words were exchanged of any type, but he did drive me to the other place, where the group had gone.”
The woman, who has chosen not to give her name, says it was Eliza coming forward that led her to finally do so:
“I did not tell anyone, because I was frightened, scared and ashamed. I also knew that if I were to report this to the stunt group, the police or SAG, I would have no chance in a career as a stunt woman.”
Kramer has denied this account as well.
We just wonder how many more stories are out there?
[Image via 20th Century Fox/Facebook.]
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