Harvey Weinstein‘s lawyers are hoping to dismiss Ashley Judd‘s lawsuit against the disgraced movie mogul by using her own words against her.
Judd filed a lawsuit against Weinstein in late April 2018 for allegedly torpedoing her career by spreading “false and malicious statements” regarding her “professionalism as an actor,” according to the complaint. Judd was the first high-profile actress to speak on record about Weinstein’s sexual harassment in a bombshell New York Times article published last October.
But Weinstein’s lawyers want to dismiss her complaint because she told him that she would accept his sexual advances if he got her an Academy Award, according to USA Today. The exchanged happened when the two were alone in Weinstein’s hotel room and he allegedly made sexual advances.
Judd refers to the exchange as a “mock bargain” in her lawsuit and told Diane Sawyer about the incident. She explained that it was what she thought of in the moment to get out the situation.
“Am I proud of that? I’m of two minds. The part that shames myself says no,” she said in the interview. “The part of me that understands the way shame works says, ‘That was absolutely brilliant. Good job, kid. You got out of there.’ ”
Weinstein’s lawyers are arguing the statement proved that the mogul tried to get her hired in movies and therefore did not harm her career.
“According to plaintiff, Weinstein then attempted to live up to his part of the bargain by trying to cast plaintiff in as many roles as possible that could earn her an Academy Award,” the filing states.
Judd’s lawyer Theodore Boutrous Jr. responded that “Mr. Weinstein’s arguments seeking to escape the consequences of his despicable misconduct are not only baseless, they are offensive,” according to USA Today.
WATCH: Ashley Judd Speaks Out About Her Decision to Sue Harvey Weinstein: ‘I Lost Prestige & Power in My Career’
Over 60 women have accused Weinstein, 65, of sexual misconduct since The New York Times and The New Yorker documented decades of alleged sexual misconduct and sexual assault involving a number of women in detailed articles in October.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Weinstein’s attorneys, Blair Berk and Benjamin Brafman, previously said: “Mr. Weinstein has never at any time committed an act of sexual assault, and it is wrong and irresponsible to conflate claims of impolitic behavior or consensual sexual contact later regretted, with an untrue claim of criminal conduct. There is a wide canyon between mere allegation and truth, and we are confident that any sober calculation of the facts will prove no legal wrongdoing occurred.
“Nonetheless, to those offended by Mr. Weinstein’s behavior, he remains deeply apologetic.”
