‘Criminal Minds’ actress A.J. Cook sues former manager over sexual assault allegations

A. J. Cook attends the Directors Guild of America Awards on Feb. 2, 2019, in Hollywood, Calif. (Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage)

A.J. Cook, who has played Jennifer Jareau on nearly 300 episodes of the CBS drama Criminal Minds, filed a lawsuit Monday against her former manager, David Guillod, for allegedly concealing the fact that multiple women had accused him of sexual assault. Cook is seeking $1.6 million, according to an extensive report from the Wrap.

Cook says in the lawsuit that Guillod’s past as a “sexual predator” could have affected her reputation as an advocate for women, and she wants him to return the money she paid him for his services. She names him and his former company, Primary Wave Entertainment, as defendants.

Guillod has always denied the sexual misconduct allegations against him, as published by the Wrap in November 2017, and has described them as “false and malicious.” He subsequently left his company, as did actresses including Kristin Chenoweth, Gina Rodriguez and Paula Patton.

At that time, actress Jessica Barth, who has appeared in Ted and Family Guy, accused Guillod of drugging her at dinner before sexually assaulting her. Several other unnamed women, including a former assistant at Guillod’s company, accused him of sexual misconduct in the following weeks.

Cook’s lawsuit includes several new charges against Guillod. She alleges that he sexually harassed a number of women while working at multiple companies, including “poking his penis through a hole in a script” in front of a client and making sexual comments to a “very famous child actor” when she was underage.

A spokesman for Guillod dismissed the new lawsuit. “This frivolous lawsuit is a reaction to two lawsuits filed against A.J. Cook and her attempt to distract from her own financial liability,” the rep told the Wrap. “Mr. Guillod has represented Cook for over 20 years and together made her a household name. She has now elected in her own greed and self servicing manner to piggyback on a very important movement in an effort to circumvent her paying commissions owed. As Ms. Cook has no claims against Mr. Guillod she has elected to revisit unfounded claims made against him. No criminal or civil charges have ever been brought against Guillod.”

A spokesman for Guillod’s former company gave a statement, too:

“PWE has been in litigation with Ms. Cook for unpaid commissions since October 2018, and therefore cannot comment directly on her just filed countersuit. That said, PWE remains committed to our core values of respect and inclusion, with a zero-tolerance policy toward harassment or abuse of any kind, including the work we do with our clients. In November 2017, within 48 hours of learning the extent of the allegations against our former colleague Mr. Guillod, we parted ways with him, and other than matters of separation, have no business with him. We stand by the ethical business practices that have served us well for 13 years.”

Cook’s attorney offered the following: “She prides herself on, and has run her career in a manner consistent with, supporting female empowerment issues and women’s rights. She is at risk of losing credibility in her brand if people presume that she knowingly made a person accused of multiple rapes and/or sexual assaults the representative of her and her brand.”