Actress Ashley Judd is suing former movie mogul, Harvey Weinstein, saying that he ruined her acting career in response to her rejecting his sexual advances.
The lawsuit accuses Weinstein of defamation, sexual harassment and violating the state of California’s unfair competition law. As one of the first women who came forward about Weinstein’s sexual advances and misconduct, Judd was put at the forefront of the #MeToo movement.
Around two decades ago, during a supposed business breakfast meeting in Beverly Hills, Weinstein approached Judd in a bathrobe, asked her to watch him shower and let him massage her.
The suit reads, “Concerned, and desperate to escape without angering the man who had the ability to end her budding career, Ms. Judd engaged in a mock bargain with Weinstein, suggesting that she would consider letting him touch only if she won an Academy Award in one of his films. Weinstein responded: ‘When you get nominated.’ Ms. Judd held firm, saying: ‘No, when I win.’ And then fled the scene.
The lawsuit goes further than sexual harassment claims, citing unfair competition laws against fraudulent business practices in an attempt “to shine a light on the broader economic damages caused when individuals in positions of authority attempt to punish those who have resisted their improper advances,” said Judd’s attorney, Theodore Boutrous Jr. in a statement.
The suit, filed in the Los Angeles County Supreme Court, is seeking actions against Weinstein for engaging in any further retaliation against Judd. In a statement made by her attorneys, any money she gets for damages at trial will be donated to a charity that combats sexual harassment and discrimination.
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– Written by Jayson Gardner
