Rose McGowan Files Racketeering Lawsuit Against Disgraced Hollywood Producer Harvey Weinstein
The lawsuit alleges that Weinstein conspired
with his attorneys to suppress and discredit Rose McGowan's allegation
that the producer raped her at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997
Actress Rose McGowan has filed a racketeering lawsuit against
disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, as well as against his
former-attorneys Lisa Bloom and David Boies and the spy firm Black Cube.
The lawsuit filed on Wednesday alleges that Weinstein conspired
with his attorneys to suppress and discredit her allegation that the
producer raped her at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997, reports.
The suit states: "This case is about a diabolical and illegal effort
by one of America's most powerful men and his representatives to silence
sexual-assault victims.
And it is about the courageous women and
journalists who persisted to reveal the truth."
Weinstein's civil attorney, Phyllis Kupferstein, said that the
lawsuit was proof that McGowan has been seeking a payout all along.
"Once and for all, Rose McGowan will be shown to be what she is; a
publicity seeker looking for money.
From the moment she sought a
multi-million dollar payout in return for not making these baseless
allegations, which we rejected, we knew that she was waiting for an
opportune time to begin this. We will demonstrate that this case has no
legal merit," Kupferstein said.
The lawsuit lays out the story of McGowan's efforts to come
forward in 2016 and 2017, and of Weinstein's efforts to contain the
potential damage. The suit alleges that the "Weinstein Protection
Enterprise" included a web of attorneys, book agents, spies, and others
who worked together to thwart McGowan.
McGowan was working on her memoir, "Brave", in which she planned
to publish her allegations against Weinstein for the first time. The
suit alleges that Weinstein and his attorneys were able to obtain much
of the book in advance, using a Black Cube spy who gained her confidence
by pretending to be an advocate for women.
The suit alleges that the spy, whom McGowan knew as Diana Filip,
illegally recorded their conversations, and accessed a draft of the book
on McGowan's laptop.
The suit also makes reference to Bloom's work on Weinstein's
behalf, which was spelled out in a letter published in "She Said," by
New York Times reporters. In the letter, Bloom laid out a plan to
discredit McGowan as unhinged.
Among other things, the suit accuses Bloom of invading McGowan's privacy.
Eric George, an attorney who represents Bloom, said it was
"inexcusable that Ms. McGowan chose to include my client in her
lawsuit".
McGowan was paid $100,000 to settle her allegation that Weinstein raped her in 1997.
The suit also lays out accusations against Roy Price, the former
head of Amazon Studios, and Jose Baez, a celebrity attorney who formerly
represented both McGowan and Weinstein. Though they are not named as
defendants, the suit alleges that Price and Baez were part of the
broader RICO conspiracy.
McGowan accuses Price of a "catch and kill", alleging that he
acquired a screenplay based on her life and then killed the project.
McGowan alleges that she later learned that Weinstein and Price were
close.
The suit also tells the story of McGowan's arrest on drug
possession charges, which she has claimed could be attributed to
Weinstein. McGowan hired Baez to defend her, and he persuaded her to
accept a plea deal.
Thereafter, Baez began working for Weinstein in his rape case.
Baez has said that the representation was vetted and approved by his
ethics counsel.
