Former film producer Weinstein is already in prison for sex crimes. Now the actress Julia Ormond is filing further proceedings – also against companies that have remained inactive. Weinstein denies the allegations.
British actress Julia Ormond is taking legal action against former film producer Harvey Weinstein over alleged sex crimes. Ormond filed the lawsuit in a New York court. In it, she claims that Weinstein harassed her at a business meeting in 1995 and, among other things, forced her to perform oral sex.
The lawsuit also targets the Walt Disney Company, Miramax and the talent agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Ormond claims that the film studios and their agents at CAA knew about Weinstein’s repeated attacks on women at the time. But they failed to warn her and protect her from him.
Harvey Weinstein at the 2017 Oscars.
Weinstein, who has already been convicted twice of sex crimes, is currently serving a long prison sentence in the US state of New York. The 71-year-old “categorically” denies the allegations, his lawyer said in a statement for the film magazine “Variety”. He will defend himself “vehemently” against it.
More than 80 women went public
Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison in 2020 after a trial in New York for rape and sexual assault. In another criminal trial in Los Angeles in February, 16 years in prison were added. The first Weinstein trial marked a milestone in legal history. The case played a key role in triggering the “MeToo” movement.
Since 2017, more than 80 women have publicly accused Weinstein of sexual assault. According to Variety, Ormond said in a phone interview that she is coming forward with her story because she believes “systemic change” is still needed. To this end, those who enable misconduct must also be held accountable.
Ex-Weinstein company Miramax sold to Disney
In her lawsuit, the 58-year-old actress is demanding undisclosed damages. The incident with Weinstein caused Ormond “catastrophic” professional and personal harm, the lawsuit says. Her career then completely collapsed.
She was also known for her leading role in “Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow” (1997). She previously achieved her breakthrough in the film “Legends of Passion” (1994). This was followed by “The 1st Knight” and “Sabrina” (1995), in which Ormond played the main roles. She worked with director David Lynch (“Inland Empire”, 2006), among others, and received an Emmy in 2010 for her supporting role in the television production “You Don’t Walk Alone”.
Weinstein founded Studio Miramax with his brother Robert “Bob” Weinstein in 1979. In 1993 they sold the company to Walt Disney Co., but continued to actively run it until 2005.