HFPA Member Sues Organization for Retaliation and Sex Harassment
variety.comGene Maddaus Senior Media WriterA member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association sued the organization on Wednesday, claiming he was sexually harassed and called a “terrorist” and an “angry Arab” by members of the group.Husam “Sam” Asi is a presenter on BBC Arabic, and has been a member of the HFPA since 2010.
He was put on probation in February after The Wrap reported that three women had accused him of sexual misconduct.In the lawsuit, Asi says that the allegations against him are false, and that they were “weaponized” by the HFPA to retaliate against him for holding the leadership accountable.
Asi says that he was also placed on probation by the BBC and by his newspaper, Al Quds Al Arabi, and was forced to pay for his own credential to attend the Cannes Film Festival.
The HFPA puts on the Golden Globes, and is still trying to repair the damage done by a 2021 Los Angeles Times investigation, which revealed potential financial improprieties and the fact that the organization did not have any Black members.
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