Judge DENIES Disney’s Request to Dismiss Harvey Weinstein Lawsuit

For decades, if you wanted a movie made, you went to Harvey Weinstein, one of the best producers in the business. Weinstein held a lot of sway in Hollywood and is the producer behind more than 300 films and television shows. In 1970, Weinstein and his brother Bob Weinstein created Miramax Studios. The studio would go on to be known for a ton of hit films, including Chicago (2002), Shakespeare In Love (1998), Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), Halloween (2018), Good Will Hunting (1997), and Pulp Fiction (1994).

Weinstein was one of Hollywood’s top dealmakers and influencers — it seemed that nothing could stop him. However, that successful life came crashing down in 2017 when The New York Times published an article revealing Weinstein’s long history of sexual assault. More than a dozen women came forward and accused the mogul of raping them.

After the article was released, many more women spoke out against Weinstein. It eventually came out that Weinstein’s predatory behavior was well-known in the entertainment industry. However, nothing was ever done about it because of who Weinstein was and how good he was at his job. Studios were willing to sacrifice the women working for them if it meant they could have the backing of Mr. Weinstein.

The allegations against Harvey Weinstein rocked the world and were the starting point of the #MeToo movement. The #MeToo movement allowed so many women to finally feel safe speaking out against the sexual abuse they had endured in their lives.

Related: ‘Disney Princess’ Sued for Sexual Harassment, Assault, and Discrimination

In 1993, The Walt Disney Company purchased Miramax for $60 million, but the Weinstein brothers didn’t go anywhere. They continued to be the force behind the studio until 2005. And their involvement during the Disney era is the basis for a very disturbing lawsuit brought against Disney by Emmy-winning actress Julia Ormond.

Last October, Ormond filed a lawsuit against The Walt Disney Company, her former talent agency Creative Arts Agency (CAA), and Miramax for enabling Weinstein, leading to her own sexual assault.

Related: Disney Faces Major New Gender Discrimination Lawsuit

Ormond claims that she was sexually assaulted by Mr. Weinstein in 1995. She said that Weinstein attacked her after a business dinner and forced her to perform oral sex on him. Ms. Ormond claims that she told her agents about the incident right after it happened. However, they told her to remain quiet so as not to hurt her career.

Ms. Ormond said that Disney was well aware of Weinstein’s predatory behavior, but they did nothing to stop him or protect the women Weinstein worked with. She is suing Disney and Miramax — now owned by Paramount Global — for negligent “supervision and retention.” She is also suing CAA for “negligence and breach of fiduciary duty.”

For months, Disney, Miramax, and CAA have been trying to get the lawsuit dismissed, claiming that they had no knowledge of Weinstein’s dangerous behavior. However, New York State Judge Suzanne Adams refused to dismiss the lawsuit, saying that, after reviewing the evidence, Ms. Ormond’s lawsuit would be allowed to continue.

Per TheWrap:

“The complaint alleges that CAA advised this woman that it was pointless to do anything about the encounter, which advice is similar to that alleged to have been given plaintiff after she told them of Weinstein’s assault on her, i.e., that nothing should be done about it. CAA representatives are claimed to have advised her not to report the assault because she likely would not be believed, would not receive more than $100,000, and might be sued by Weinstein for libel,” New York State Judge Suzanne Adams wrote in her ruling.

“These allegations, taken together, suggest that CAA knew or had reason to know of a potential assault by Weinstein,” the ruling continued.

Shortly after the ruling, CAA issued a statement, continuing to deny the claims made in Ormond’s lawsuit. CAA denies that Ormond told her agents about what happened. They continue to assert that the agency only found out about Mr. Weinstein’s sexual assaults when The New York Times article came out in 2017.

Ms. Ormond’s lawsuit will now move to the discovery phase. During this process, her attorneys will request information from Disney, CAA, and Miramax. The information is not readily available to the public and will be used by her attorneys to strengthen their case.

Disney has not responded to the lawsuit.

Do you think companies like Disney should be held responsible if they were aware of Weinstein’s actions? Let us know in the comments.