An actress claims Harvey Weinstein masturbated in front of her while she was trying to use the bathroom — and that he boasted “I slept with Jennifer Lawrence†during a sexual assault two months later, according to allegations in a new lawsuit.
The actress, referred to as Jane Doe in a lawsuit filed to the Los Angeles Superior Court on December 12, alleges that she met Weinstein at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2013. She went to his hotel room to discuss acting opportunities the next day, and after chatting for two hours, the woman says she went to use the restroom.
“While Plaintiff was sitting on the toilet, with her tights around her ankles, Weinstein opened the bathroom door and walked in on Plaintiff, who was initially immobilized with by embarrassment — thinking he entered accidentally — which quickly changed to terror as Weinstein unbuttoned his jeans, dropped his pants to the floor, and exposed his penis while telling her ‘I like looking at you,’ ‘my dick is nice and hard for you,’ and asking ‘do you like my dick?’ and instructing her ‘let me look at you,’†according to court documents. The woman, who was 22 at the time, said “no†but “eventually he moved so close that he was towering over her and was close enough to pull up her jacket and eventually ejaculated directly onto her skirt,†the suit charges.
Weinstein is then said to have given her two tickets to two premieres. At one after-party he took her around and introduced her as a “great actress who is going to be in a couple of movies of mine.†When she was leaving a restroom later that same evening, the actress alleges Weinstein “grabbed her tight, pulled her towards him, and thrusted her hand onto his penis.â€
Upon their separate returns to New York, they had several more meetings in which the actress says Weinstein made inappropriate advances. During a March 2013 dinner at Tribeca Grill, he told the woman that his company had landed the rights to Vampire Academy and invited her to his office, supposedly to give her a copy of the script, the suit claims. When she sat on his couch, the actress alleges Weinstein said he couldn’t find the script and knelt in front of her, saying, “she smelled good and began touching her and moaning.†Based on court papers, the woman moved away and “begged him to stop†but Weinstein “forcibly performed oral sex on Plaintiff.â€
After she started sobbing, Weinstein “began lecturing her about how he and his people were all trying to help her, and asked her, ‘do you even want to be an actress?,’†she alleges. “He expressly reminded her that he was the gatekeeper to her dream by claiming, ‘I slept with Jennifer Lawrence and look where she is; she has just won an Oscar.’â€
Later that month, the actress asked Weinstein to meet and confronted him about his behavior. He said, “Don’t be such a prude. I didn’t even fuck you,†and threatened her career, according to her claims, and continued to engage in sexual misconduct on several other subsequent occasions. A rep for Weinstein did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He has previously denied allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
When asked about the lawsuit, Jennifer Lawrence issued a statement through her publicist, saying, “My heart breaks for all the women who were victimized by Harvey Weinstein. I have never had anything but a professional relationship with him. This is yet another example of the predatory tactics and lies that he engaged in to lure countless women.â€
Update: When asked for comment, a rep for Weinstein said: “This lawsuit was filed and updated strategically with no notice given or any attempt to reach out to Mr. Weinstein’s attorneys for one reason; It was meant to embarrass Mr. Weinstein and garner unchecked media attention.â€
“There is absolutely no truth to the malicious claims made in this lawsuit, and we are reviewing our options with an eye on filing for an immediate dismissal. Mr. Weinstein is embarrased for Ms. Lawrence with whom he has only had a professional and respectful relationship, who has sadly been dragged into this ugly attempt at defamation,†the rep also said in a statement. “This filing further proves that anyone can say whatever they want in a lawsuit for maximum shock value, to defame and debase, without having to offer any facts or reality.â€