A few days after actress Ashley Judd sued Harvey Weinstein for “destroying her ability to work” — after he apparently blacklisted her as a form of retaliation — another woman is taking Weinstein to court while accusing him of sexually and physically assaulting her for years. In addition, she’s claiming that Weinstein threatened to end her career if she told anyone what was happening.
Alexandra Canosa, who produces Marco Polo for Netflix, alleged in her lawsuit that Weinstein “repeatedly raped” her, mostly in hotel rooms, between 2010 and 2014. She adds that he continued his threats up until September 2017, just prior to when the New York Times and the New Yorker dropped their Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reports detailing decades of his predatory behavior against women. Canosa is seeking monetary damages, although it’s unclear what amount she has requested. The Times has language from her lawsuit:
Ms. Canosa said he insisted on meeting her in “isolated environments for business purposes,” including in hotel rooms in Hungary and Budapest. Mr. Weinstein “threatened plaintiff if she would not give him what he wanted,” and forced himself on her “despite repeated requests to stop,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan.
Canosa’s lawsuit also arrives not long after the Screen Actors Guild publicly called to end the long-standing industry practice of holding business meetings in private locations such as hotel rooms and residences. This move was viewed as a means to usher in a post-Weinstein era, wherein agents and other handlers aren’t (unwittingly or otherwise) placing actors in danger while meeting those in positions of power. Many actresses, including the most prominent example of Rose McGowan, have given accounts of unwanted sexual encounters with Weinstein during casting meetings, and given that he reportedly compiled a hit list of accusers for his spies to target, Judd and Canosa’s lawsuits may be the first of many to come.
(Via New York Times)