Actress says Weinstein’s assistant turned blind eye to assault
ABritish aspiring actress who has sued Harvey Weinstein over an alleged sexual assault in France suggested Tuesday the disgraced producer’s assistant turned a blind eye to his misconduct. Speaking at a press conference in New York, Kadian Noble said that in May 2016, she confided to one of the Hollywood mogul’s assistants that he had sexually assaulted her two years earlier at a hotel during the Cannes film festival.
“She said to me I should write a letter to him. She kept reassuring me that he’s a good man and he’s been so good to her, that I should put in the letter everything I feel and that she would ensure that letter gets to him,” Noble said. The 31-year-old added it was then that she realized Weinstein had “so much wall built up around him” that she “had no chance.” It was the first time an accuser has cast blame on a member of Weinstein’s entourage, although others have mentioned being left alone in hotel rooms with him.
More than 100 women have come forward since October to accuse Weinstein of bullying and degrading behavior over the past 40 years, from intimidation to rape. When contacted by AFP about Noble’s accusations, Weinstein’s former assistant-who no longer works for the Weinstein Company, according to its website-did not respond.
Noble filed the civil lawsuit in New York on Monday under a sex trafficking law which relates to acts committed by US citizens overseas. Weinstein is accused of groping Noble, pulling her into his hotel bathroom and forcing her to perform a sex act on him, telling her that “everything will be taken care of for you if you relax.” Noble is seeking unspecified damages, accusing Weinstein of being able “to force or coerce” her into sexual activity in his hotel room by promising to find her a film role and to use his influence on her behalf. Her lawyer Jeff Herman said he will inform French authorities of the incident in Cannes, but said: “We’re not pursuing any criminal case.” A statement issued on behalf of Weinstein repeated his denial of allegations against him.
Scourge
The 65-year-old filmmaker has already been expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which runs the Oscars, and has resigned from the Producers Guild of America. He also parted ways with The Weinstein Company, the production house he and his brother Bob co-founded, and was suspended by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
Noble is also suing The Weinstein Company and Bob, alleging they were aware of Weinstein’s behaviour and of contributing to his foreign travel to recruit women into “forced or coerced sexual encounters”. Two women-led investor groups are interested in taking over The Weinstein Company-which is on the verge of bankruptcy-with a figure in the region of $275 million reportedly on the table.
The DGA had condemned the “scourge” of sexual harassment when it announced disciplinary action against Weinstein in October, calling for a zerotolerance approach to abuses of power. “This isn’t about one person. We must recognise sexual harassment is endemic in our society, and painfully, in our industry. We believe that every individual has the right to a safe workplace,” the guild said. “For far too long, many have not spoken out-directors, agents, crew, executives, performers, producers, writers. This shameful code of complicity must be broken.” Police in New York, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and London have confirmed that they are investigating allegations of sexual assault made against Weinstein. — AFP