Harvey Weinstein 'bragged about sleeping with Jennifer Lawrence', lawsuit claims

Actress Jennifer Lawrence and Harvey Weinstein
Getty Images for GLAAD
Katy Clifton15 December 2018

Harvey Weinstein bragged about sleeping with Jennifer Lawrence after another actress rejected his advances, a lawsuit has alleged.

The latest allegation against the film producer emerged in court documents on Friday, with an unnamed woman claiming he forcibly performed oral sex on her.

Weinstein has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.

According to the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles, Weinstein pushed the unnamed actress to the ground during a meeting at his office in 2013 before sexually assaulting her.

When she rejected his advances, Weinstein is alleged to have asked, "Do you even want to be an actress?", adding "I slept with Jennifer Lawrence and look where she is; she has just won an Oscar."

Hollywood star Jennifer Lawrence 
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Lawrence issued a statement on Friday denying she had had a sexual relationship with Weinstein.

She said: "My heart breaks for all the women who were victimised 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."

Harvey Weinstein entering State Supreme Court in New York
AP

The latest accuser, listed in legal documents as Jane Doe, is suing both Weinstein and The Weinstein Company, the film studio he founded with his brother Bob. She alleges sexual battery and discrimination.

A representative for Weinstein said the lawsuit was "malicious" and that the movie mogul is "embarrassed" for Lawrence who has "sadly been dragged into this ugly attempt at defamation".

They 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.

"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 embarrassed 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.

"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."

It comes after a group of Weinstein accusers attempted to block him from bringing his private emails into the public eye.

Weinstein has asked a bankruptcy court in the US state of Delaware to allow him to recover files from The Weinstein Company.

He wants to use the emails in his defence against sexual assault charges in New York. But, his accusers from a separate civil case, are trying to block the move due to concerns over confidentiality.

They have asked a judge to block him from releasing the material to "the media (or any other third party)" after alleging Weinstein's lawyers told them he "intended to unleash these emails in the media to sway the court of public opinion".

Weinstein's civil lawyer, Scott Cousins, accused the women of "doing all they can to prevent the truth from coming out".

Mr Cousins added: "This strategy will not bode well, as they are going behind the bankruptcy court's back which has sole jurisdiction over these emails and the plaintiffs know it.

"To claim sexual assault and then take such measures to prevent the truth from being heard speaks volumes of their motives."

Weinstein is next due in court on December 20.

Additional reporting by Press Association.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in