Harvey Weinstein is trying to get the class action lawsuit filed against him dismissed. Six women have filed suit against Weinstein and his former company. According to court documents filed by Weinstein’s attorneys, though, the suit as drafted “would include all women who ever met with Weinstein, regardless of whether they claimed to have suffered any identifiable harm as a result of that meeting.”
So he’s pointing to statements from prominent actresses who have said positive things about him in past interviews as proof that because he didn’t (allegedly) assault every woman he ever met, he’s clearly a great guy. The court documents read, “Such women would include, presumably, Jennifer Lawrence, who told Oprah Winfrey she had known Weinstein since she was 20 years old and said ‘he had only ever been nice to me,’ and Meryl Streep, who stated publicly that Weinstein had always been respectful to her in their working relationship.”
This isn’t the first time Weinstein has tried to present disingenuous, roundabout “proof” that women are lying about him. He has frequently pointed to the fact that women who have accused him continued to work with him. Because apparently every woman who has alleged sexual assault should have given up their careers rather than power through, put up with him, or try to avoid contact while still accepting or even pursuing work with his prestigious company. He’s offered examples and even pictures of himself with these women, as if that’s proof that he never harassed or assaulted them.
He also seems oblivious to the fact that much of the time, these women look uncomfortable or even miserable to be near him.
Harvey Weinstein denied Uma Thurman's assault claims and released photos of the two together https://t.co/D5kCeYwIRn pic.twitter.com/nL31INxEeI
— Variety (@Variety) February 3, 2018
Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence have responded to being named in Weinstein’s defense. Because while both have said that Weinstein never assaulted them, and both claimed they didn’t even know about his alleged patterns of abuse, neither wants to be his shield against other accusations. Both seem to be disgusted by the idea.
Earlier this week, Streep issued a statement to Deadline, saying, “Harvey Weinstein’s attorneys use of my (true) statement — that he was not sexually transgressive or physically abusive in our business relationship — as evidence that he was not abusive with many OTHER women is pathetic and exploitive.”
She continued, “The criminal actions he is accused of conducting on the bodies of these women are his responsibility, and if there is any justice left in the system he will pay for them — regardless of how many good movies, made by many good people, Harvey was lucky enough to have acquired or financed.”
Jennifer Lawrence issued her own statement today. She told E!, “Harvey Weinstein and his company are continuing to do what they have always done, which is to take things out of context and use them for their own benefit. This is what predators do, and it must stop.”
“For the record, while I was not victimized personally by Harvey Weinstein, I stand behind the women who have survived his terrible abuse and I applaud them in using all means necessary to bring him to justice whether through criminal or civil actions,” Lawrence added. “Time’s up.”
It’s mind-boggling that Weinstein and his attorneys didn’t see this reaction coming.
(image: BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images)
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