Disgust as Weinstein claims he struck ‘bargain’ with actress Ashley Judd: win an Oscar, I get to touch you

Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers have asked a federal judge to dismiss a defamation lawsuit brought by actress Ashley Judd that charges the producer ruined her career after she rejected his sexual advances.

Weinstein’s legal counsel claims the movie mogul and the actress had a “bargain” that allowed him to touch her if she “won an Academy Award in one of his films,” records show.

The allegation met with outrage and disgust from Judd’s attorney, who denied there was such a deal and said the actress was simply trying to escape Weinstein’s clutches.

“Mr Weinstein’s arguments seeking to escape the consequences of his despicable misconduct are not only baseless, they are offensive. We look forward to opposing his flawed motion, moving forward with discovery into his outrageous behaviour and proving to a jury that Mr Weinstein maliciously damaged Ms. Judd’s career because she resisted his sexual advances,” said Theodore J. Boutrous, Judd’s attorney.

Weinstein’s allegations mark a bold legal strategy for the former movie executive, who already is facing sexual assault charges in New York and is under criminal investigation in Los Angeles and London.

The move in federal court comes just days after Weinstein’s criminal lawyer denied Weinstein told a columnist for a British magazine that the producer traded roles in his productions for sex.

Judd sued Weinstein in April, saying he effectively blackballed her in Hollywood and sabotaged her getting a significant role in the Lord of the Rings trilogy in 1998. Judd’s suit alleged that Weinstein dissuaded director Peter Jackson and his partner from casting Judd after she rejected Weinstein at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. Judd was one of the actresses who went on the record for a New York Times expose of Weinstein’s behaviour last year.