6 women sue, allege ‘Weinstein Sexual Enterprise’
NEW YORK — Six women filed a lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein on Wednesday, claiming that the movie mogul’s actions to cover up assaults amounted to civil racketeering.
The lawsuit was filed at a federal court in New York seeking to represent a class of “dozens, if not hundreds” of women who say they were assaulted by Weinstein.
The lawsuit claims that a coalition of companies and people became part of the growing “Weinstein Sexual Enterprise” and that they worked with Weinstein to conceal his widespread sexual harassment and assaults.
“The Weinstein Sexual Enterprise had many participants, grew over time as the obfuscation of Weinstein’s conduct became more difficult to conceal,” the suit said.
Weinstein lawyers Blair Berk and Ben Brafman reiterated Weinstein’s denials in a statement on Wednesday.
“Mr. Weinstein has never at any time committed an act of sexual assault, and it is wrong and irresponsible to conflate claims of impolitic behaviour or consensual sexual contact later regretted, with an untrue claim of criminal conduct,” the lawyers said. “There is a wide canyon between mere allegation and truth, and we are confident that any sober calculation of the facts will prove no legal wrongdoing occurred. Nonetheless, to those offended by Mr. Weinstein’s behaviour, he remains deeply apologetic.”
According to the lawsuit, actresses and other women in the film industry were lured to industry events, hotel rooms, Weinstein’s home, office meetings or auditions under the pretence that they were to discuss a project.
Plaintiffs included the scriptwriter and actress Louisette Geiss and the actresses Katherine Kendall, Zoe Brock, Sarah Ann Thomas, Melissa Sagemiller and Nanette Klatt.
The Associated Press generally doesn’t name alleged victims of sexual assault without their permission. All the women have told their stories publicly.
At least 75 women have come forward in the media to detail accounts of assault, harassment and inappropriate conduct by Weinstein, 65. Weinstein’s representatives have denied all accusations of non-consensual sex.
Weinstein is being investigated by police in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, New York and London. No charges have been filed.
Weinstein was ousted from the movie company he founded after a barrage of sexual-harassment allegations that began with a bombshell New York Times article in early October. Since then, numerous prominent men in entertainment, business and politics and the media have been hit with allegations of improper behaviour with women.
Meanwhile, a new New York Times report says actor Lena Dunham warned Hillary Clinton’s communications director about Weinstein’s behaviour.
Dunham told the Times that when she worked with the Clinton presidential campaign last year, she tried to warn them about rape allegations against the mogul. Dunham said she told Clinton spokeswoman Adrienne Elrod about Weinstein.
“I just want to let you know that Harvey’s a rapist, and this is going to come out at some point,” Dunham said she told Kristina Schake, the campaign’s deputy communications director. “I think it’s a really bad idea for him to host fundraisers and be involved because it’s an open secret in Hollywood that he has a problem with sexual assault.”
Magazine editor Tina Brown also said she cautioned the Clinton campaign about Weinstein.
Clinton’s communications director Nick Merrill told the paper that “only [Dunham] can answer why she would tell them instead of those who could stop him.”
Weinstein was a significant contributor to Democratic candidates and helped fundraise for Clinton.