Paz de la Huerta Adds Bob Iger and Michael Eisner to Weinstein Lawsuit
Click here to read the full article.
Paz de la Huerta has refiled her sexual assault lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein, adding Disney CEOs Michael Eisner and Bob Iger as defendants.
De la Huerta originally sued Weinstein and the Weinstein Co. last November, accusing the former mogul of raping her twice at her home in New York in 2010. At the time, Weinstein’s attorney denied the allegations, saying they came from an “unstable personality with a vivid imagination.”
More from Variety
The Weinstein Co. estate has been working on a settlement of several lawsuits, including de la Huerta’s, in bankruptcy court. However, as those talks have dragged on without a resolution, de la Huerta’s attorney appears to be looking for additional defendants.
The new lawsuit, filed in state court in Los Angeles, seeks to establish that the Disney executives and Miramax can be held liable for Weinstein’s conduct in 2010, even though Weinstein left Miramax, which was then a Disney subsidiary, in 2005.
De la Huerta appeared as a 14-year-old actor in “The Cider House Rules,” a 1999 Miramax film. The suit alleges that Weinstein developed an unhealthy fixation on her during the filming.
“She experienced disturbing and sexual interest from him commencing at that time in 1999 and continuing through at least 2011,” the suit alleges.
The suit alleges that Eisner and Iger “made a series of decisions that allowed a range of actions by Harvey Weinstein” that harmed Miramax employees.
In a statement, a Disney spokesperson said that Weinstein operated independently when he ran Miramax.
“The Weinsteins operated and managed their business with virtual autonomy,” the spokesperson said. “There is absolutely no legal basis for claims against the company and we will defend against them vigorously.”
De la Huerta also sued the Four Seasons Hotel, alleging that the hotel had failed to prevent a third incident in Los Angeles in January 2011. In that case, Weinstein allegedly invited de la Huerta to his room and greeted her wearing a bathrobe, and then exposed himself to her and invited her to participate in a threesome. The hotel chain moved the case to federal court, but a judge there recently granted de la Huerta’s motion to return the case to state court in Los Angeles.
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
