Julia Ormond makes appeal after Harvey Weinstein 'enablers' are eyed in lawsuit for 'failing to protect & silencing her' | The Sun
ACTRESS Julia Ormond has appealed for whistleblowers to come forward as she takes on some of Hollywood’s biggest players for allegedly failing to protect her from sex predator Harvey Weinstein.
The English-born Emmy-winner, 58, filed a lawsuit last month against Weinstein, his former Miramax company, talent agency CAA and the Walt Disney Company.
She claims she was sexually assaulted by Weinstein in December 1995 while he was signed to Miramax, which was owned by Disney.
Ormond claims her high-powered agents at CAA, Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane, pushed her into meeting with Weinstein knowing full well that he was a predator and then discouraged her from going to the authorities after he attacked her.
Ormond – the winner of a supporting actress Emmy for her role in HBO film Temple Grandin in 2010 – says that subsequently the agency “lost interest in representing her” and her career suffered dramatically as a result.
Current CAA co-chairmen Lourd, 63, and Huvane, 65, are not named as defendants but are frequently mentioned throughout the suit.
Ormond’s lawyer Effie Blassberger exclusively told The U.S. Sun: “A very important part of this lawsuit is to hold CAA accountable.
“We believe that the sexual assault would have never happened if they had fulfilled their obligations as her fiduciaries and warned her.
“She never would have put herself in this environment where she was meeting with him one on one for a business dinner.
“Instead they were more concerned about their relationship with this powerful man who was making them money.
“Afterwards, when she told them what had happened, they intimidated her into being silent and you see the ramifications of that in terms of her career.
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“Harvey Weinstein is doing his time but you have these enablers who played a critical role.
“We want to encourage other people to come forward. I don’t think that Julia’s experience with CAA and other enablers was unique.
“Whether it was Harvey Weinstein or other powerful men in Hollywood, we want people from that time period of the mid-1990s who had these experiences to reach out to us, come forward and tell these stories.
“These are still two of the most powerful agents in Hollywood. Let’s get justice and hold them accountable.”
Disgraced Weinstein, 71, is currently in prison serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault in New York.
He was sentenced to a further 16 years in Los Angeles earlier this year and is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison.
Ormond's lawsuit was filed in New York during a one-year window for adult victims of historic sex crimes to come forward on cases for which the statute of limitations had already expired. That window closed today.
She is suing Weinstein for battery, CAA for negligence and breach of fiduciary duty and Disney and Miramax for negligent supervision and retention of Weinstein.
She was represented by CAA until 1999 but her lawsuit says that after Weinstein’s alleged sexual assault she nearly disappeared from the public eye, with the exception of some television movies.
Lourd has been chief executive officer of CAA, widely regarded as one of the most influential talent agencies in the world, since 1995.
He is probably best known outside of Hollywood as the former partner of late Star Wars star Carrie Fisher, who he had actress daughter Billie Lourd with.
Lourd famously left Fisher in 1994 for his current restaurateur husband Bruce Bozzi after realizing he was gay.
He personally represents A-list clients of the caliber of Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Scarlett Johansson.
Meanwhile, Huvane has worked with some of the leading names in entertainment, including Tom Cruise, Oprah Winfrey and Jennifer Aniston.
The U.S. Sun reached out to representatives for Weinstein, CAA, Miramax, and Disney asking for comment.
Wesintein’s lawyer told Variety after the lawsuit was filed last month: “Harvey Weinstein categorically denies the allegations made against him by Julia Ormond and he is prepared to vehemently defend himself.
“This is yet another example of a complaint filed against Mr. Weinstein after the passing of decades, and he is confident that the evidence will not support Ms. Ormond’s claims.”
CAA described Ormond’s claims as “baseless” and said the agency will “vigorously refute them” in court.
A spokeswoman said: “CAA takes all allegations of sexual assault and abuse seriously, and has compassion for Ms. Ormond and the experience she described in her complaint.
“However, the claims that Ms. Ormond has levied against the agency are completely without merit.”
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