Actor Warren Beatty, 85, accused of sexually assaulting a minor in 1973

Warren Beatty has in the past been linked to actresses such as Jane Fonda, Brigitte Bardot, Diane Keaton and Britt Ekland. Photo: AFP

A woman who claims actor Warren Beatty coerced her into sex with him almost 50 years ago when she was a young teenager has filed a lawsuit against him seeking damages.

The suit, lodged in Los Angeles, is the latest effort to claim compensation for abuses that are alleged to have happened decades ago, under a California law allowing complaints that would otherwise have passed the statute of limitations.