An actress is suing Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein’s production studio, Weinstein Co., for failing to stop its ousted co-founder’s alleged serial assault of women.
This is the first lawsuit to hit the production company since Weinstein became embroiled in more than a dozen allegations involving sexual assault, harassment and rape, according to Bloomberg.
In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, actress Dominique Huett said the company directors were “aware of Weinstein’s pattern of using his power to coerce and force young actresses to engage in sexual acts with him.” Huett claims Weinstein Co., including Bob Weinstein, had “actual knowledge of Weinstein’s repeated acts of sexual misconduct with women.”
Huett alleges in the suit that Weinstein took her to his Beverly Hills hotel room in 2010 and assaulted her. The filing said she “froze as Weinstein removed her clothing and performed oral sex on her,” and “would not take ‘no’ for an answer.” After allegedly masturbating in front of her she said he offered to secure her a role on the TV show Project Runway.
In a seven-page complaint, Huett said that “female Weinstein Company employees were often used as ‘honeypots’ to lure his victims into a false sense of security.”
Weinstein’s spokesperson has repeatedly denied “any allegations of non-consensual sex.”
Huett is suing the studio for negligence and is reportedly seeking $5 million in damages through the civil suit, according to Deadline.
Amid the ongoing deluge of allegations and industry outrage, the disgraced producer’s studio is reportedly struggling to stay afloat.
Billionaire Tom Barrack’s private equity firm Colony Capital is said to be conducting due diligence evaluations before offering Weinstein Co. A financial lifeline. Barrack had likened the company to “a patient that’s dying on the table.”