A newly-expanded civil lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein alleges that the disgraced movie producer sexually harassed a 16-year-old girl.
The new court documents state that the unnamed teenager moved from Poland to the US in 2002 with hopes of becoming an actress and that she met Weinstein at an event held by her modelling agency.
The lawsuit – updated on Wednesday, having been filed in Manhattan – alleges that Weinstein took the teenager to his Soho apartment a few days later, where he “aggressively and threateningly” demanded sex.
Jane Doe, one of 10 named plaintiffs in the class action, was able to leave the alleged encounter – but lawyers say she “endured nearly a decade of sexual harassment and emotional abuse” afterwards.
Weinstein has denied all allegations of non-consensual sexual conduct against him. In a statement, Weinstein’s lawyer Bejamin Brafman told Sky News: “This claim is preposterous and eventually, just as others have been exposed to be liars, this uncorroborated allegation that is almost 20 years old will be shown to be patently false.”
Weinstein was charged in May with six criminal counts relating to sexual assault and harassment against three women – although one of the charges was later dropped. He now faces five charges in connection with alleged assaults against two women, one in 2013 and one in 2006. Weinstein has denied all the charges.
Dozens of women have come forward to accuse Weinstein of sexual assault, harassment, or misconduct since allegations against the producer first broke in 2017.
The accusations made against the powerful Hollywood producer turned global attention onto a political movement – #MeToo – that has led to accusations against men in positions of power across various industries.
Earlier this month, a year on from when the bombshell reports about the film mogul first broke, Mr Weinstein was tracked down by Sky News reporters. He was grilled by them in Manhattan, but remained silent – aside from a grin and a thank you to the reporter, before getting in his car and driving away.
