Rosario Dawson is a popular name in the Hollywood industry. She is an ace actress and film producer who has worked in numerous box office hits in her career. Some of her popular films include Sin City, Men in Black II, Zookeeper, Rent, The Rundown, and others. She is also a familiar name in the television industry. The actress has worked in Marvel’s Luke Cage and presently earning fame with her show Ahsoka. The actress has a bright career, and she is a respected actress, however, the Star Wars actress was once accused of assault.
The actress and her family were accused of discrimination and assault by a trans man named Dedrek Finley. She was accused of mistreatment and anti-trans insults towards the accuser.
Ahsoka Star Rosario Dawson accused of trans discrimination and assault
In October 2019, The Mandarin actress, Rosario Dawson, was faced with a lawsuit by a trans man Dedrek Finley. The trans man has known the actress and her family for many years and worked for them in Los Angeles. He assisted them with household repairs. Finley allegedly accused them of mistreatment and discrimination, including physical assault and transphobic insults such as deliberate misgendering.
It was quite a shocking accusation on the actress as she supports LGBTQ+ causes. The lawsuit was filed in California, which claimed that the bisexual actress and her family members violated Finley’s civil and labor rights.
Finley shared in an interview with Out that he was worried about coming forward but, it was important to show that trans people will not tolerate discriminatory behavior, regardless of the power of the accused. He said,
“[The family] was never expecting me to take a stand for myself. I always hoped there would be some reconciliation, but when it goes physical, that’s it. You have to take a stand for yourself … not only for myself but for the community.”
According to the lawsuit, Finley had known the family for two decades before the incident. Finley grew up in New York and shared that the Dawson family had known for a long time that he was a lesbian.
Dedrek Finley revealed actress Rosario Dawson’s reaction to the mistreatment
Finley shared in the interview that talked to the Ahsoka actress on several occasions about the misconduct and discriminatory behavior with him. However, allegedly she did not take any action about the case, instead, she responded by telling him to handle the situation on his own. He said that the actress told him,
“You’re a grown woman.”
Finley was discouraged by her response and doubted if working for the family was the right decision or not. He said,
“It was a chance to be my true self. I truly thought I’d have a more supportive reception. I thought maybe it was too much and I felt shame around it … Having to correct when I was misgendered, I would sometimes second guess [coming out]. Like, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t make waves.'”
He allegedly claimed the family resorted to various illegal tactics to get him to leave his California apartment. Reportedly, one time by the end of April 2018, Isabel and Rosario Dawson showed up at his apartment to discuss ending the lease. When he asked them to discuss later, Isabel allegedly threatened to kill him and his cat.
He shared that Rosario Dawson pinned him to the ground and took away his cell phone as her mother allegedly thrashed him. Finley shared that he managed to get help after scrambling to get Rosario’s phone and hid in his room until the police arrived. He was taken to the hospital and received treatment for injuries. As per reports, he received a temporary restraining order against Isabel, Rosario Dawson’s mother.
Finley’s lawsuit allegedly continued with the Dawson family for nearly five months. Finley moved out of the apartment in September.
By 2020, all the cases were dismissed by the court, due to the lack of evidence, and Finley also withdrew some claims in the court. The whole matter cooled down by 2021.
Source- Out
