Ryan Seacrest accuser says she's filed a police report alleging sexual misconduct
A former E! stylist accusing Ryan Seacrest of sexual misconduct has filed a police report.
Saying she won't "stand by silently," former stylist Suzie Hardy wrote in a new op-ed column in The Hollywood Reporter that she recently filed a report of her allegations with the Los Angeles Police Department.
"I'm not going away. I'm thriving in the truth and feel more inspired than ever. I recently contacted the LAPD and filed a police report so I'm guaranteed a real investigation this time," Hardy said.
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed a report was taken but did not provide any further details.
In a statement to ABC News from Seacrest's lawyer Andrew Baum, the E! News and "American Idol" host and "Live with Kelly and Ryan" co-host denied all of Hardy's claims and pledged to cooperate with authorities.
"After Mr. Seacrest denied each and every one of Ms. Hardy’s decade-old claims, after Mr. Seacrest refused to pay Ms. Hardy any money whatsoever, and after an independent legal investigation did not support her claims, Ms. Hardy went to the press attacking the legitimacy of the investigation," Baum said in the statement. "Now, after being refused money and unhappy with the independent legal investigation, Ms. Hardy now claims to have spoken to the authorities."
The statement continued, "We will continue to cooperate and we remain confident that Mr. Seacrest will once again be cleared of any wrongdoing."
The sexual harassment allegation against Seacrest, originally from an anonymous accuser, first surfaced in November. Seacrest immediately issued a denial in which he revealed the accuser to be his former stylist and slammed her allegation as "reckless."
E! News launched an investigation -- conducted by outside counsel -- into the allegation, telling ABC News in a statement on Feb. 1 that there was "insufficient evidence" to support any claims of wrongdoing by Seacrest.
A few weeks later, Hardy gave an interview to Variety, in which she discussed Seacrest, saying his alleged behavior included grabbing her genitals and slapping her backside so hard that it left a mark. Seacrest, 43, again denied the allegation.
In today's guest column, Hardy wrote that after she gave a "full account" of her alleged experiences to the HR department at E! back in 2012 and was let go without severance. She also called the recent investigation "inconclusive," saying that NBC did not interview 10 of the witnesses she provided, including her therapist and boyfriend at the time.
NBC responded today by referring to a statement from E! on Feb. 26
"E!’s investigation was extremely comprehensive and thorough. Over the course of a two-month process, our outside counsel interviewed more than two dozen people regarding the allegations, including multiple separate meetings with the claimant and all firsthand witnesses that she provided," the statement read. "The investigator is an attorney with nearly 20 years experience and is highly regarded professionally. Any claims that question the legitimacy of this investigation are completely baseless."
As Seacrest's personal stylist, Hardy said she not only helped select his clothes for E! but styled him for "American Idol," "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" and his red carpet shows. She said the job required her to travel with him and make "late-night runs" to his home.
As for the allegations, she said Seacrest chose to take them public. "But I will not stand by silently and let Ryan or the sycophants that employ him get away with this," she wrote.
She added, "Everyone in Hollywood who stands by Ryan now is choosing not to believe me. That includes every guest on his shows, every studio and network that does business with him, every celebrity who talks to him on a red carpet. Know that this is a choice you are making."
Ryan Seacrest is the co-host of “Live With Kelly and Ryan," which is produced by WABC-TV, a station owned and operated by Disney, ABC News’ parent company. He is also the host of ABC's "American Idol."
