“Atomic Blonde” producer David Guillod is the focus of an active investigation in Santa Barbara County after an employee at the management firm he ran accused him of raping her at a company retreat in December 2014.
TheWrap first broke the news that the former employee went to Los Angeles police last month to report that Guillod raped her at the wine-country retreat. She left the company soon afterward, received a $60,000 payment and was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement, multiple sources told TheWrap.
The LAPD, which is actively investigating Guillod on three other sexual assault accusations, referred the woman’s report to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, which has jurisdiction for that case.
A rep for Guillod, who has denied any wrongdoing, said his attorney has spoken to Santa Barbara investigators.
“We reiterate our absolute denial of any criminal conduct committed by Mr. Guillod, and all of the allegations made have been proactively investigated by Mr. Guillod’s defense team,” Guillod’s attorney said in a statement to TheWrap.
Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s spokeswoman Kelly Hoover declined to comment beyond saying the case is an “active investigation.”
The NDA has kept the employee, a former assistant, from speaking to reporters. But a person close to her — and other employees who attended the retreat — told TheWrap they believe Guillod led the assistant from her bed when she was inebriated, then had sex with her in another room in the hotel where they were staying.
Two employees who saw the assistant immediately after her encounter with Guillod said that she appeared confused and extremely upset.
“Consent was not possible. It was beyond that,” one of the employees told TheWrap. “She just started bawling and was like, ‘I think I had sex.’ It was so clear that this had not been consensual.”
At the retreat, Guillod announced to employees that Intellectual Artist Management would merge to become Primary Wave Entertainment. The merger went through a few months after the assistant left the company.
Guillod stepped down as co-CEO of Primary Wave Entertainment last month after TheWrap reported that another woman, “Ted” actress Jessica Barth, had gone to police to accuse him of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 2012.
In addition to Barth and the assistant, two other women have also accused Guillod. The two women said that Guillod drugged their wine and raped them in 2015.
The LAPD is investigating the Barth accusations and the 2015 case.
Primary Wave Entertainment is investigating whether Guillod deliberately hid details of the 2014 rape accusation and the $60,000 payment to ensure the merger would go through.
Cohen added: “There are numerous eyewitnesses who belie the allegations, and Mr. Guillod has passed multiple polygraph tests with respect to these accusations. As with any allegation of crime, it is unfortunate that, yet again, an accusation equates to guilt, without any opportunity to respond. We have reached out to, and look forward to working with, law enforcement to resolve these matters and to clear Mr. Guillod’s name.”