Julia Ormond accuses Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault
Actor Julia Ormond has accused the convicted rapist and movie producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault. Temple Grandin star Ormond has filed a lawsuit against Weinstein, which was submitted in New York on October 4th.
The lawsuit also names the Creative Arts Agency, the Walt Disney Company and the Miramax production banner. The case was filed under the Adult Survivors Act, which admits a temporary window for sexual assault accusers to file beyond the normally accepted deadlines.
Ormond has claimed she was once due to have a business dinner with Weinstein about a future project, but the movie producers would “only discuss the project back at the apartment Miramax had provided Ormond as part of their first-look deal with her.”
Weinstein’s attorney, Imran H. Ansari, said in a statement, “Harvey Weinstein categorically denies the allegations made against him by Julia Ormond, and he is prepared to defend himself. This is yet another example of a complaint filed against Mr. Weinstein after the passing of decades, and he is confident that the evidence will not support Ms. Ormond’s claims.”
In the submitted documents about the incident, it’s claimed that Ormond’s “defences were down” after she had “consumed several drinks” with Weinstein but agreed to take the producer back to her apartment, where he “stripped naked and forced her to perform oral sex on him.”
Ormond believes the alleged assault could have been prevented if “Miramax or Disney had properly supervised Weinstein and not retained him while knowing that he was a danger to the women he encountered at work.” The Creative Arts Agency are also criticised for not “looking out for Ormond.”
The CAA also made a statement to Fox News, saying, “CAA takes all allegations of sexual assault and abuse seriously and has compassion for Ms. Ormond and the experience she described in her complaint. However, the claims that Ms. Ormond has levied against the agency are completely without merit.”
The CAA statement continued, “Through counsel, Ms. Ormond approached CAA in March with these allegations about the agency. Ms. Ormond’s claims against CAA are baseless, and the agency will vigorously refute them in court.”
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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