As the NYPD, the LAPD and police in London and Beverly Hills investigate sexual assault complaints against Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced producer and The Weinstein Company were hit with a sexual battery and assault lawsuit today by a new and anonymous accuser.
“Prior to the incidents involving Plaintiff, the Companies’ executives, officers, directors, managing agents, and employees had actual knowledge of Weinstein’s repeated acts of sexual misconduct with women,” says the seven-claim jury-seeking complaint filed Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. The filing, made by Gloria Allred for a Jane Doe, alleges two vile incidents with the now ex-TWC co-chair in 2015 and 2016.
“ In particular, the Companies were aware of Weinstein’s pattern of using his power and the promise of procuring jobs to coerce and force actresses to engage in sexual acts with him,” the 13-page filing says (read it here).
Allred tells Deadline that the accuser has not gone public and has not told her story before today’s filing. The wide-ranging, damages-seeking suit claims sexual battery, gender violence, battery, assault and negligence, as well as an injunctionthat stop Weinstein and TWC from “engaging in similar conduct toward other women.”
In graphic detail, today’s filing explains how Weinstein dangled the prospect of a role on TWC’s now-shuttered Netflix series Marco Polo to the actress, whom he had known since 2011. In a manner now familiar from past allegations, Weinstein arranged a meeting at the Montage Hotel in Beverly Hills and masturbated in front of the woman, despite her negative response to the situation. “Despite her telling Weinstein ‘no,’ he proceeded to grip her wrist with one hand while using the other to masturbate in front of her until completion.”
Several months later, the complaint claims, Weinstein lured the actress back to the Montage “to celebrate her upcoming role in Marco Polo giving her the impression that she had been chosen for the part.” That 2016 meeting turned into a sexual assault that saw Weinstein penetrating the woman forcefully and against her will.
“Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein,” said reps for Harvey Weinstein today. “Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances,” they added. “Mr. Weinstein obviously can’t speak to anonymous allegations, but with respect to any women who have made allegations on the record, Mr. Weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual.”
With the defendants already facing several lawsuits on related terms, representatives for TWC did not respond to comment on the latest suit.
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