A Ukrainian model is suing the Cannes Film Festival alleging that she was assaulted when a security guard put her in a "bear hug" on the red carpet, according to reports.
Sawa Pontyjska, a presenter for Fashion TV, said the incident happened May 21 when she was "brutally" restrained by the female guard as she tried to enter the premiere of the film "Marcello Mio," the BBC reported.
She posted a video of the encounter on her social media accounts.
"I was trying to escape from this lock. I went down and I started to run away on the stairs because it was the way back [out]," she told the BBC.
"She was trying to push me in[side], so nobody can see what she's doing with me. Then she kicked me out through the back door," Pontyjska added.
The security guard was also involved in episodes involving Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland, South Korean actress Yoona and Dominican actress Massiel Taveras, the report said.
Pontysjka told the news outlet that she did nothing wrong and has reached out to the organizers of the festival seeking an apology.
She has not received a response.
Legal papers say Pontyjska was "violently challenged by one of a group of security guards" in front of "thousands of people."
She suffered "acute pain" and "psychological trauma," according to the fililng, the BBC reported.
Rowland addressed her encounter with the guard to the Associated Press.
"The woman knows what happened. I know what happened. I have a boundary, and I stand by those boundaries and that is it," she said.
"There were other women that attended that carpet who did not quite look like me and they didn't get scolded or pushed or told to get off. I stood my ground, and she felt like she had to stand hers," Rowland continued.
Pontyjska is seeking more than $100,000 in damages.
