Rose McGowan has filed a lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein and his former lawyers, claiming they conspired to discredit the rape allegation she made against him
Rose McGowan has filed a lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein and his former lawyers, claiming they conspired to discredit the rape allegation she made against him.
The actress, 46, sued Weinstein, along with his two former lawyers David Boies and Lisa Bloom and private intelligence agency Black Cube, in California federal court.
McGowan alleges that when Weinstein learned that she planned to write about the alleged 1997 rape, his team tried to steal her unpublished book and attempted to buy her silence.
Her lawyers said they later began a campaign to undermine her reputation so no one would believe her, according to the lawsuit seen by The Hollywood Reporter.
‘This case is about a diabolical and illegal effort by one of America’s most powerful men and his representatives to silence sexual-assault victims,’ the opening sentence of the complaint says.
‘And it is about the courageous women and journalists who persisted to reveal the truth.’
The actress and activist was one of the first women to publicly accuse movie mogul Weinstein of sexual misconduct when she alleged he raped her.
She also helped establish the #MeToo Movement, which led to scores of women coming forward to say they had endured sexual abuse.
McGowan is suing Weinstein, along with his two former lawyers David Boies and Lisa Bloom and private intelligence agency Black Cube, in California federal court
Weinstein’s lawyer Phyllis Kupferstein on Wednesday said the allegations made by his client were baseless and had no legal merit.
The statement read: ‘Once and for all, Rose McGowan will be shown to be what she is a publicity seeker looking for money.
‘From the moment she sought a multi-million dollar payout in return for not making these baseless allegations, which we rejected, we knew that she was waiting for an opportune time to begin this. We will demonstrate that this case has no legal merit.’
McGowan was working on her memoir, Brave, in which she planned to publish her allegations against Weinstein between 2016 and 2017.
The suit alleges that Weinstein and his attorneys were able to obtain a large part of the book before it was published, including using a ‘spy’ who got close to her by passing herself off as an advocate for women, Variety reports.
In a statement, Bloom’s attorney Eric George told the Hollywood Reporter: ‘It is inexcusable that Ms. McGowan chose to include my client in her lawsuit.
‘Facts matter. There is simply no credible factual or legal basis for her claims against my client. We look forward to our day in court to set the record straight.’
In January 2018, McGowan also revealed what allegedly happened between her and Weinstein at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival when her memoir Brave was finally published.
She wrote that she had an appointment with Weinstein on the day of the incident but arrived to learn her breakfast meeting had been moved to his hotel suite.
Weinstein’s former lawyers are included in the lawsuit and McGowan claims they played a part in his efforts to limit the potential damage of the rape allegation she made against him
Once she got to the suite, she claims that Weinstein tore off her clothing, made her sit on the edge of the Jacuzzi in his room and proceeded to perform oral sex on the actress while masturbating himself to completion.
‘Mr. Weinstein denies Ms. McGowan’s allegations of non-consensual sexual contact,’ said Weinstein’s rep in a statement at the time.
‘Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.’
Soon after this alleged assault, McGowan received a $100,000 settlement from the disgraced mogul.
‘I freeze, like a statue,’ writes McGowan of the moments just before the alleged assault.
Weinstein proceeded to strip naked according to McGowan, and directed her towards the Jacuzzi while ripping off her clothes.
She detailed how the encounter ended that day at the Stein Eriksen Lodge in Deer Valley, writing: ‘He moans loudly; through my tears I see his semen floating on top of the bubble.’
In a story McGowan had previously hinted at on Twitter prior to her book release, she was taken to a photo call for her film Phantoms that was playing at the festival.
It was the New York Times that reported in 2017 about McGowan receiving a $100,000 settlement in the wake of the incident.
That settlement did not require her to sign an NDA, but McGowan very publicly threw caution to the wind in November 2017 by alleging on Twitter that Weinstein was her rapist.
McGowan said she found little help or support in the time after the alleged assault, with McGowan saying that her attorney told her no one would believe her in court while others ‘counseled me to see it as something that would help my career in the long run.’
It did not help in the long run, with the actress’ career reaching its height in 1999 with the cult classic Jawbreaker before she was relegated to television, where she starred in the highly profitable but ‘deadening’ drama series Charmed.