LOS ANGELES, May 1: Ashley Judd, one of the first women to accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct and harassment, has filed a lawsuit against the former media mogul for trying to sabotage her career.
In the suit, Judd has alleged that Weinstein dissuaded director Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh from working with her in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy as she had rebuffed his sexual advances.
“My legal complaint. I am suing for economic remedy due to damage done to my career as a result of sexual harassment. Financial recuperation goes to @TIMESUPNOW @TIMESUPLDF so that American workers who experience sexual harassment & retaliation have help,” Judd tweeted while also posting a link to the complaint.
In the aftermath of the sexual harassment scandal, Jackson had claimed Weinstein designed a “smear campaign” against Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino, that discouraged him to offer roles to the two actors who were one of the first women to openly accuse the disgraced media mogul of sexual misconduct.
Referring to Jackson’s statement in the suit, Judd claimed that Weinstein “torpedoed Ms. Judd’s incredible professional opportunity” to work with Jackson by telling him she was a “nightmare” to work with and should be avoided “at all costs”.
“The pathetic reality, however, was that Weinstein was retaliating against Ms. Judd for rejecting his sexual demands approximately one year earlier, when he cornered her in a hotel room under the guise of discussing business,” wrote Judd’s attorney Theodore Boutrous Jr.
“A self-described ‘benevolent dictator’ who has bragged that ‘I can be scary,’ Weinstein used his power in the entertainment industry to damage Ms. Judd’s reputation and limit her ability to find work,” it added.
The 50-year-old actor is suing Weinstein for defamation, sexual harassment, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage and unfair competition.
Weinstein’s representative denied the allegations that he smeared Judd’s name in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.
“The most basic investigation of the facts will reveal that Mr. Weinstein neither defamed Ms. Judd nor ever interfered with Ms. Judd’s career, and instead not only championed her work but also repeatedly approved her casting for two of his movies over the next decade,” it stated.
“The actual facts will show that Mr. Weinstein was widely known for having fought for Ms. Judd as his first choice for the lead role in ‘Good Will Hunting’ and, in fact, arranged for Ms. Judd to fly to New York to be considered for the role. Thereafter, Ms. Judd was hired for not one, but two of Mr. Weinstein’s movies, ‘Frida’ in 2002 and ‘Crossing Over’ with Harrison Ford in 2009. We look forward to a vigorous defense of these claims,” it added. (PTI)
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