American actress Ashley Judd has filed a civil lawsuit against former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein for defamation and sexual harrassment, claiming that he ruined her career after she refused his sexual advances.
Weinstien is one of many high profile men accused of sexual harassment and assult, sparking the #MeToo and #TimesUP movements. Over 70 women have accused the disgraced producer of sexual misconduct.
Judd claims that she refused Weinstein’s advances, after which the former Hollywood heavy weight proceeded to defame her in the industry, leading to a lost opportunity in 1998 to work on the film The Lord of the Rings. The lawsuit claims Weinstein “was retaliating against Ms Judd for rejecting his sexual demands approximately one year earlier, when he cornered her in a hotel room under the guise of discussing business”.
Ashley Judd has made a statement saying that the money won by this lawsuit would be donated to the Time’s Up cause, “so that women and men in all professions may have legal redress for sexual harassment, economic retaliation and damage to their careers.”
Judd is seeking an unspecified amount in the lawsuit and a trial by jury.
> Charlotte Amoa
Photo Credit: Mingle MediaTV
