Harvey Weinstein responds to Ashley Judd's lawsuit: 'Only championed her career, never interfered with it'

After being sued by Ashley Judd for hurting her acting career in retaliation for her rejecting his sexual advances, Harvey Winstein has responded to the allegations through a spokesperson.

"The most basic investigation of the facts will reveal that Mr Weinstein neither defamed Ms Judd nor ever interfered with Ms Judd’s career, and instead not only championed her work but also repeatedly approved her casting for two of his movies over the next decade. The actual facts will show that Mr Weinstein was widely known for having fought for Ms Judd as his first choice for the lead role in Good Will Hunting and, in fact, arranged for Ms Judd to fly to New York to be considered for the role. Thereafter, Ms Judd was hired for not one, but two of Mr Weinstein’s movies, Frida in 2002 and Crossing Over with Harrison Ford in 2009. We look forward to a vigorous defence of these claims,” said the spokesperson, according to Variety.

In the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Judd accuses Weinstein of defamation, sexual harassment and violating California's unfair competition law. Judd was in the first group of women who came forward last fall about Weinstein's sexual misconduct, putting her at the forefront of the #MeToo movement.

Central to the suit is director Peter Jackson saying in December that Weinstein had warned him 20 years ago that Judd was a "nightmare" to work with, and should be avoided "at all costs." Jackson was considering Judd for a major role in his Lord of the Rings movies, and had met with her about the role. Weinstein's company at the time, Miramax, then held the rights to Lord of the Rings.

Judd, 50, had no idea why she was not cast in the Lord of the Rings films until Jackson came forward in 2017, the lawsuit says.

With inputs from AP.

Updated Date: May 03, 2018 11:10 AM