A woman whose evidence resulted in Harvey Weinstein’s second conviction has sued the disgraced director in civil court.
Jane Doe #1, a European model who testified in Weinstein’s Los Angeles trial last autumn, said that the actor sexually assaulted her in a hotel room in February 2013.
A jury found Weinstein guilty of three crimes, all of which were connected to Jane Doe #1, after deliberating for 10 days. He was exonerated on one count, while the jury was deadlocked on many other counts.
The movie tycoon has already received a 23-year jail term after his New York conviction in 2020.
Despite his attorneys’ requests for a retrial, he will be sentenced in Los Angeles on February 23 and faces an additional 18 years in jail.
The Oscar-winning film producer is charged with sexual violence, false detention, and intentional cause of emotional distress in the civil action, which demands damages for both physical and mental suffering.
According to the complaint, “Defendant Weinstein’s behavior was reprehensible and done with malice, oppression, and deception, therefore justifying a judgment of punitive damages against him.”
Jude Engelmayer, a spokesperson for Weinstein, responded to the complaint by saying that the actor disputes the claims and that witnesses at his California trial lied about material evidence.
After his New York conviction in 2021, a bankruptcy judge authorized a $17 million settlement, which was distributed to more than 50 victims.
They did not include the plaintiff in the lawsuit on Thursday.
He will be sentenced to further time in jail during a hearing in Los Angeles on February 23 even though he is appealing both charges.
The full 18 years have been requested, and they should run concurrently with his New York term, according to the prosecution.
Years of rumors about Weinstein’s conduct had been circulating in Hollywood, but due to his dominance of the field, few were willing to oppose him.
All of that changed in 2017 when shocking claims against him were made public, sparking the #MeToo movement and allowing women to speak out against sexual harassment at work for the first time.
Since then, many more women have said they were prey to Weinstein’s sexual actions.
»Woman who helped convict Harvey Weinstein for his second rape sues him«