Jimmy Bennett, the actor and musician who says he was sexually abused by Asia Argento when he was under-age, has broken his silence about the reported assault—and the $380,000 settlement Argento allegedly paid him to keep the allegations private. Argento has denied the allegations, and claimed that her partner at the time, the late Anthony Bourdain, paid the settlement on her behalf solely to help Bennett financially and keep the claims quiet. Bourdain’s estate has not yet responded to Vanity Fair’s request for comment.

In a lengthy statement, sent to Vanity Fair via his lawyer, Gordon K. Sattro, Bennett says that his “trauma resurfaced” after Argento became one of the more vocal figures of the sexual misconduct reckoning last fall. The actress and director was one of the first women to publicly accuse Harvey Weinstein of rape (he has denied the claim), later delivering a powerful speech at the Cannes Film Festival, in which she decried the way Hollywood has handled sexual abusers. Bennett, whose lawyer sent a notice of his intent to sue Argento in November, said he didn’t come forward sooner about his allegation because he was “ashamed and afraid to be part of the public narrative,” and felt there was still a stigma surrounding male victims.

“I was under-age when the event took place, and I tried to seek justice in a way that made sense to me at the time because I was not ready to deal with the ramifications of my story becoming public,” he continued.

In the original New York Times piece that broke the news, it was reported that the incident took place in 2013, when Argento invited Bennett, whom she had known for years, to meet her at the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey, California. Once in the hotel room, the report goes, Argento allegedly gave Bennett alcohol, then kissed him and performed oral sex on him. They allegedly proceeded to have intercourse. Bennett was 17 years old at the time. Argento was 37.

TMZ also shared a photo that appears to be Argento and Bennett in bed together, and released screenshots of alleged text messages between Argento and a friend, in which she admits to having sex with Bennett. She continues, saying she was not aware he was 17 until she received his “shakedown letter” later on. In her statement after the publication of the Times piece, Argento says she and Bennett “never had any sexual relationship.”

In his statement, Bennett says this ordeal is something that he will deal with, in time.

“I would like to move past this event in my life, and today I choose to move forward, no longer in silence,” he writes. Representatives for Argento have not yet responded to Vanity Fair’s request for comment.

His full statement can be read below:

Many brave women and men have spoken out about their own experiences during the #MeToo movement, and I appreciate the bravery that it took for each and every one of them to take such a stand. I did not initially speak out about my story because I chose to handle it in private with the person who wronged me. My trauma resurfaced as she came out as a victim herself. I have not made a public statement in the past days and hours because I was ashamed and afraid to be part of the public narrative. I was under-age when the event took place, and I tried to seek justice in a way that made sense to me at the time because I was not ready to deal with the ramifications of my story becoming public. At the time I believed there was still a stigma to being in the situation as a male in our society. I didn’t think that people would understand the event that took place from the eyes of a teenage boy. I have had to overcome many adversities in my life, and this is another that I will deal with, in time. I would like to move past this event in my life, and today I choose to move forward, no longer in silence.