Weinstein claims actress Ashley Judd made sexual 'deal' with him
LOS ANGELES Harvey Weinstein's lawyers are calling on a US judge to dismiss a lawsuit from US actress Ashley Judd - who accuses the disgraced mogul of sabotaging her career - on the grounds that she had made a sexual "deal" with him.
Judd, 50, said Weinstein convinced director Peter Jackson not to cast Judd after she rejected his sexual advances.
In a motion filed on Tuesday, Weinstein's team said Judd struck a "deal" with Weinstein, 66, letting him touch her if she won an Oscar in one of his films.
His attorneys claim hetried "to live up to his part of the bargain" by working to cast Judd in "as many roles as possible".
His action "reflects his motivation to advance her career, not ruin it" and undermines Judd's "defamation claim (as well as her retaliation claim) in its entirety".
A spokesman for Judd said: "Mr Weinstein's arguments... are not only baseless, they are offensive. We look forward to... proving to a jury that Mr Weinstein maliciously damaged Ms Judd's career because she resisted his sexual advances." - AFP
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now