Paz de la Huerta Sues Harvey Weinstein, Lawsuit Alleges Rape And Harassment
Thirty-four-year-old actress Paz de la Huerta filed a lawsuit Tuesday against disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. The lawsuit alleges that Weinstein raped de la Huerta twice and began a campaign of harassment against the actress.
Vulture reports that the actress has previously publicly accused Weinstein of rape. The lawsuit references the rape allegations of two instances that occurred in New York in 2010, as well as a previously unreported allegation that de la Huerta says occurred at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills on January 5, 2011. According to the lawsuit, “Plaintiff alleges that Weinstein opened the door, wearing an opened bathrobe thereby prominently exposing his penis to Plaintiff in a taunting manner.”
After opening the door to the hotel room, de la Huerta states that the producer invited her to have a threesome with him and another woman in the room. The lawsuit continues, “Plaintiff told Defendant Weinstein to stop stalking and harassing her and quickly left the vicinity of Weinstein’s room feeling embarrassed, scared, shocked and humiliated. She noted that Weinstein appeared angered by her rejection and denunciation.”
In addition to Weinstein, the lawsuit also names the Weinstein Company, Four Seasons Hotels, Ltd., and others.
Weinstein’s attorney Ben Brafman issued a statement in response to the filing.
“It is our understanding that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office carefully reviewed Ms. De la Huerta’s claims of sexual assault by Mr. Weinstein many months ago and made a conscious decision to reject her as a complainant for obvious reasons.”
Actress Paz de la Huerta is suing Harvey Weinstein, alleging that the Oscar-winning producer raped her in two instances, and later embarked on a retaliatory campaign that resulted in her losing a role on HBO’s "Boardwalk Empire" https://t.co/k0yTbCBoQ6
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) November 13, 2018
The actress alleges that in 2010, Weinstein first raped her after she refused to have sex with him in her apartment after the two celebrated the premiere of the movie Blue Valentine. A few weeks later, after visiting Weinstein at his apartment to demand an end to the harassing phone calls, Weinstein allegedly raped her a second time.
The Guardian reports that a year after the incidents, de la Huerta was fired from the hit HBO show Boardwalk Empire. The lawsuit states that the actress suspects that Weinstein was involved, citing a New York Times published photograph that shows Weinstein in conversation with Martin Scorsese, who was a director and executive producer of the show.
In addition to the instances of rape and assault, the lawsuit alleges that Weinstein harassed the actress via phone calls for two weeks between the 2010 incidents. De la Huerta alleges that Weinstein damaged her career by at least $60 million, including damages to her reputation and ability to work.
Weinstein has been accused by over 75 women. While Brafman has attempted to challenge the credibility of the women coming forward with accusations, others have also filed lawsuits, including actress Ashley Judd and Weinstein’s former personal assistant Sandeep Rehal.
