A woman has launched a damages claim in London after saying she was sexually assaulted by Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein.
Her lawyers said the claim was the first of its kind made against Mr Weinstein in the UK.
They said the woman, who has not been identified, was likely to want more than £300,000.
Paperwork outlining detail of the claim has been lodged at the High Court in London, lawyers said.
They said no date had been fixed for any hearing.
The claimant, who worked in the film industry, has accused Harvey Weinstein of sexually assaulting her numerous times in Britain and the US
Solicitor Jill Greenfield, who represents the woman and works for law firm Fieldfisher, said her client was claiming damages for ‘personal injury’ plus expenses and ‘consequential loss’ arising out of ‘a series of sexual assaults’ by Mr Weinstein.
She said claims have been made against Mr Weinstein, a Weinstein company based in London and a Weinstein company based in New York, and she had indicated that the alleged assaults happened ‘many years ago’.
A spokeswoman for Fieldfisher said she could not say whether the woman was British.
Detail of the claim is listed on a claim form lodged at the High Court and dated November 23.
The form says the woman suffered ‘psychiatric damage’ cause by ‘intentional assault’.
The woman is being represented by Miss Greenfield, who has previously won one of the highest ever payouts in a civil claim for rape.
In 2006 she secured a £259,000 payment from the estate of Christopher Dawes, a millionaire who had lured Amanda Lawson to the island of Alderney with the promise of a job that never existed, then drugged and abused her.
Weinstein, 65, ‘sincerely apologised’ for past behaviour following allegations of sexual harassment
The woman in the High Court case has not yet made a complaint to the police but is expected to do so.
She is said to remain traumatised by the attacks which allegedly took place after 2000, and has not discussed them with her family.
In criminal courts, the prosecution has to prove the charges of sexual assault or any other offence to the standard of beyond all reasonable doubt.
In civil cases, it is a matter of proving it on the balance of probabilities.
The case is one of only a handful of civil claims for damages for rape to have been brought in the English courts.
Weinstein denies any allegations of non-consensual sex.
A spokesman for Weinstein said: ‘Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr Weinstein. Mr Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.
‘Mr Weinstein obviously can’t speak to anonymous allegations, but with respect to any women who have made allegations on the record, Mr Weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual.’
Earlier this year there were reports several women had come forward to allege serious sexual misconduct against the Hollywood mogul.
In early October, Mr Weinstein, 65, ‘sincerely apologised’ for past behaviour following allegations of sexual harassment.
He said, in a statement from a publicist, that he planned to take a ‘leave of absence’ from his business as he worked with therapists.
Mr Weinstein has been behind some of the biggest Hollywood films of the past 25 years.
He has been involved in the production of 20 films that have been nominated for the best picture Oscar, including the Lord Of The Rings finale The Return Of The King, Shakespeare In Love and The English Patient.
Mr Weinstein and brother Bob Weinstein founded Miramax in 1979 and sold it to Disney in 1993.
They continued to work for the firm until 2005 when they set up the Weinstein Company, which spawned hits including The King’s Speech, Django Unchained and Silver Linings Playbook.
In 2004 he was made an honorary CBE for his contribution to the British film industry.
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