On Tuesday, another woman came forward to accuse embattled movie producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, but she’s also coming for the Weinstein Company. According to Variety, Dominique Huett (Blue Bloods) filed a lawsuit in court today alleging that TWC was complicit in its co-founder’s misconduct.
Huett claims Weinstein forced himself on her in Beverly Hills’ Peninsula hotel in 2010. The actress says that she met Weinstein to discuss her career, but once inside the room, he persistently asked her for a massage. After she complied, Weinstein suggested he perform oral sex on her. The documents filed in court read, “Weinstein displayed persistence and would not take ‘no’ for an answer.†After removing her clothes, and performing oral sex, “Weinstein masturbated in front of Plaintiff until he reached orgasm.â€
Huett’s story echoes the experience former production assistant Mimi Haleyi described earlier on Tuesday, and those shared by many other women in the film industry.
Usually in sexual-harassment civil cases, California law requires a complainant to file with the Department of Fair Employment and Housing within two years of the incident. However, Huett’s lawyer argues that it was not until the story broke this month about Weinstein’s history of alleged abuse, which now includes upwards of five dozen accusers, that the actress became aware that the company might have known about the misconduct. Citing Weinstein’s history of settling out of court and evidence that female executives from WTC were used as “honey pots†to lure victims, Huett is suing TWC for one count of negligence. The actress is seeking $5 million in the civil suit.
The Weinstein Company has previously denied knowing about the nature of payoffs.