Renewed accusations that Woody Allen molested an adopted daughter two decades ago were "engineered by a vengeful lover," the filmmaker's lawyer told CNN on Monday. The allegations were "fully vetted and rejected by independent authorities," Allen attorney Elkan Abramowitz said in a written statement. The controversy dates back to 1992 after the revelation that Allen, then 56, was having an affair with Soon-Yi Previn, Mia Farrow's 19-year-old adopted daughter with composer Andre Previn. Allen and Previn married five years later. Allen's legal and public relations teams scrambled to respond to an open letter written by Dylan Farrow and published by The New York Times on Saturday recounting her allegation that Allen sexually assaulted her when she was a child.
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Dylan Farrow accuses Woody Allen of sexually abusing her when she was 7
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"The one to blame for Dylan's distress is neither Dylan nor Woody Allen," his lawyer says
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The controversy began in 1992 amid revelations that Allen was dating Soon-Yi Previn
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A criminal investigation ended with no charges against Woody Allen
But he said he decided not to press charges, with @placeholder's support, "rather than exposing the child to possible harm."