Dustin Lance Black.Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
On Wednesday,The Hollywood ReporterandVarietyreported that Judge Louisa Cieciora, who presides over the Westminster Magistrates Court in London, determined there was not enough evidence to convict Black, 49, after he wascharged in April with allegedly assaulting BBC presenter and model Teddy Edwardesin an August 2022 incident.
Black, the Oscar-winning screenwriter behind 2009’sMilk, allegedly grabbed and twisted Edwardes' wrist during the alleged incident, after which she punched him in the head, multiple outlets reported.
“I am pleased that the judge saw the truth today and ruled in my favor,” Black said in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “As the evidence has proven, and I have always maintained, I am completely innocent, and in fact was the victim in this case of a serious assault.”
Dustin Lance Black and Teddy Edwardes.Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images; James Gillham/Shutterstock
“This is a moment of exoneration — this case has flown in the face of everything I am and I am grateful to the judge for exonerating me,” Black toldVarietyoutside the courtroom Wednesday.
“She said in her evidence today she could not remember a wrist grab clearly,” Cieciora said in court, perVariety. “I found that to be an odd statement given she had made public statements on social media and to the police this is what happened.”
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THRreported that the judge said “the inconsistencies and weaknesses in [Edwardes'] evidence go beyond simple matters of credibility and reliability to be determined at the end of the evidence.”
Black’s husband, British diver and athleteTom Daley, accompanied him to court Wednesday and was expected to testify before Cieciora dismissed the charges, according toVariety.
Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black.Jeff Spicer/Getty Images
“I didn’t have a drink to throw back so I did choose violence,” she wrote at the time, perThe Guardian. “It wasn’t that violent, he got a little tap on the back of the head.”
Black has also written films likeJ. Edgarand created the 2022 Hulu miniseriesUnder the Banner of Heaven. He most recently co-wrote the script for the new Netflix dramaRustin.
source: people.com
