‘White Lines’ star Nuno Lopes hits out at filmmaker AM Lukas, saying he was “morally and ethically” unable to drug and rape her – after she filed a lawsuit at the Tribeca Film Festival 17 years ago filed a lawsuit accusing him of assault
- Lukas filed a lawsuit in New York on Monday, accusing the Portuguese star of rape
- Lopes said he refused to pay any amount of money and apologize before being sued
- The American filmmaker claims they were attacked at a premiere party in 2006
White Lines star Nuno Lopes has hit out at filmmaker AM Lukas after he filed a civil lawsuit accusing him of drugging and raping her at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival.
The Portuguese actor and DJ, 45, told DailyMail.com he was “morally and ethically” unable to live up to the allegations in a lawsuit filed by the American filmmaker – who uses the pronouns “they/them” – in New York on Monday York had filed against him.
“My conscience is absolutely clear, I am morally and ethically incapable of committing the acts of which I am accused,” Lopes told DailyMail.com. “I would never drug anyone, and I would never take advantage of a woman who was incapacitated, whether from too much alcohol or the influence of other substances.” Not today and not 17 years ago. “I have the greatest respect and solidarity with all victims of any kind of violence.”
Lopes further claimed that Lukas’ lawyer recently sent him a letter containing the allegations and demanding a sum of money and an apology, both of which he refused.
He added: “I am aware of the extremely serious consequences of this case and know that my decision to reject a settlement and instead have this case heard in a public court has consequences for my personal and professional reputation.”
Nuno Lopes poses with the Orizzonti Award for Best Actor for “Saint George” during the closing ceremony of the 73rd Venice Film Festival at Sala Grande in September 2016 in Venice, Italy
Lukas claims Lopes spiked her drink at a friend’s premiere party at Robert DeNiro’s Tribeca Film Festival and took her to his apartment 17 years ago
Lukas says they were forced to take anti-HIV medication and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after the attack
In her lawsuit, Lukas claims that 17 years ago at a friend’s premiere party for Robert DeNiro’s Tribeca Film Festival, Lopes spiked her drink and took her to his apartment.
The filmmaker, whose 2018 short film One Cambodian Family Please for My Pleasure screened at the Sundance Festival, says she had to take anti-HIV medication after the attack, which left her with post-traumatic stress disorder, as she remembers it returned to it.
The lawsuit was filed Monday in New York, just three days before the deadline for claims under the state’s Adult Survivors Act, which temporarily lifts the statute of limitations for historical sex offense lawsuits.
Lukas said: “We cannot accept a world in which the perpetrators of vile and inhumane behavior can live out their lives in the open with impunity and without social consequences, while their victims suffer in silence.”
“Mr Lopes was given the opportunity to take responsibility for his actions: to acknowledge what he did; account for it and apologize. He immediately refused and made it clear that he would never admit wrongdoing of any kind.’
Lukas said in the lawsuit that they remember their body feeling “unusually heavy” after they met Lopes.
Lukas has 430,000 followers on Instagram, has made a name for himself as a DJ and is one of the biggest stars in the Portuguese-speaking world
Nuno Lopes, 45, told DailyMail.com he was “morally and ethically” unable to accept filmmaker AM Lukas’ allegations
They had little immediate memory of the night other than Lopes holding up their limp legs and “raping them from the front as they faded in and out of consciousness,” the lawsuit says.
Her other memories included: “Mr. Lopes raped Lukas from behind while Lukas wondered where they were and who they were with, and Mr. Lopes masturbated over Lukas’ naked, motionless body.”
The lawsuit alleges that Lopes called them a taxi around 7:30 a.m. the next morning and gave them $30 as payment, along with his phone number.
Soon after, they received a message from an unknown number that sounded like a man masturbating and moaning while calling Lukas’ name into the phone.
Lukas’ lawsuit seeks compensatory and punitive damages.
Lopes, who has 430,000 followers on Instagram, has appeared in 52 productions as an actor and won five Golden Globes in his native Portugal.