Nearly a year after the mountain of allegations began against disgraced mogul Harvey Weinstein, the story has grown even uglier. A new lawsuit (which is part of a gathering of 10 named accusers, including the woman who recorded him groping her before allegedly raping her) now accuses the former powerhouse producer of sexually assaulting her while she was a 16-year-old model.
The Associated Press has details from the court filing in which Jane Doe, a Polish model, accuses Weinstein of forcing her to touch his genitalia after he invited her to a business luncheon to discuss her career. She claims that she resisted his alleged sexual assault in 2002 at his Manhattan apartment, where he “aggressively and threateningly” demanded that she have sex with him. He then allegedly harassed this model for years while blocking her acting career. Here are more details from the filing:
Weinstein instructed Doe to take off her clothes and intimated that she’d never work as an actress unless she gave in to his demands, according to the filing, the latest revelation in a lawsuit alleging Weinstein’s movie studio board enabled his behavior.
“Terrified and struggling to hold back tears, Jane Doe said she would not and resisted his demands,” the filing states. “Jane Doe was a virgin, and had no intention or understanding when she agreed to a business lunch that she would be put in this alarming position.”
The lawsuit claims that Weinstein continued to pursue Doe, and he allegedly harassed her (becoming “possessive”) when she began to date another man. He also allegedly showed up at her apartment, where he was turned away by security, and during another alleged incident, he reportedly “blurted out his sexual attraction to Christina Aguilera” while allegedly exposing himself and touching his penis. Doe’s story echoes claims from other actresses, including Mira Sorvino and Ashley Judd, who were also blacklisted by Weinstein.
Benjamin Brafman, the attorney who has also recently made headlines for representing unruly Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli, has labeled Doe’s allegations as “preposterous.” Weinstein is still trying to beat multiple charges for rape after pleading not guilty in a New York City court earlier this year. The newest legal filing that includes Doe’s claims piles upon allegations from dozens of women across the globe, years after he reportedly compiled a hit list of accusers for his investigators to target before his movie empire crumbled.
(Via Associated Press/Yahoo)