TJ Miller denies allegations of sexual assault
— -- Comedian and former "Silicon Valley" star T.J. Miller has denied allegations of sexual assault made by an anonymous former classmate at George Washington University.
In a statement obtained by ABC News, T.J. Miller and his wife, Kate Miller, said that the woman who made the claims was coming forward with "false accusations" in an attempt to destroy their relationship and his career.
The Daily Beast, which published the woman's account, reported that the allegations were addressed in student court more than a decade ago, though the university would not confirm details for the website, citing the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act.
The website provided accounts from several of T.J. Miller's friends, who spoke anonymously on his behalf.
In their statement, the Millers said, "We met this woman over a decade ago while studying together in college, she attempted to break us up back then by plotting for over a year before making contradictory claims and accusations. She attempted to discredit both of our voices and use us against one another by trying to portray Kate to be a continuous abuse victim of T.J. (further efforts to hurt the two of us)."
"We are confident that a full consideration of accounts from and since that time will shed light and clarity on the true nature of not only this person's character and also on the real facts of the matter," they continued.
The Daily Beast says it granted the woman anonymity because she feared retribution. She told the website that a few months after they began dating in 2001, T.J. Miller, now 36, punched her in the face during sex, fracturing her tooth and bloodying her lip.
She told the website that on another occasion, he choked her during consensual sex and then sexually assaulted her.
"I was not ready to process what was happening [the prior year], and I have spent a lot of time in my life apologizing for not having shouted 'no' and for not having told my roommates to get him out of here," she said. "I was not ready to reconcile the events taking place with the person I had known. It was so disorienting and so physically traumatic."
She denied the Millers' allegation that she intends to hurt them.
"He was a friend to me before [the alleged assaults], and he had been there for me before that," she said. "I didn't want him in jail. I didn't hate him. He was someone I cared about … I don't want to mess up his life. But he behaved in a way towards me that I have to live with … [and] I don't think it's appropriate that I carry this by myself."
The Millers, however, said that the woman is spreading "lies designed to wreak havoc on two happily married people in the public eye." They criticized her for coming forward now, as many woman are going public with allegations of sexual misconduct by famous men.
"It is unfortunate that she is choosing this route, as it undermines the important movement to make women feel safe coming forward about legitimate claims against real known predators. We stand together and will not allow this person to take advantage of a serious movement toward gender equality by allowing her to use this moment to muddy the water with an unrelated personal agenda," the Millers stated. "We feel we all have an obligation now more than ever to prevent people from using reporters to spin lies into headlines, and focus instead on what is real. We both champion and continue to stand up for people everywhere who have truly suffered injustice seeking to have justice brought into their lives."
