Weinstein Claims He Made 'Sexual Deal' With Ashley Judd 

Harvey Weinstein's lawyers have tabled a dismissal of the case filed against him by actor Ashley Judd on the grounds that she had made a sexual "deal" with him.

Weinstein claimed that he had a deal with the actor-activist and the sexual relationship between them was “a bargain with respect to future sexual activity”

In a statement, Weinstein’s attorney Phyllis Kupferstein has claimed Judd has waited too long to sue, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

He claimed that the top film producer then "attempted to live up to his part of the bargain" by working to cast Judd in "as many roles as possible" -- including opposite Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting. His action "reflects his motivation to advance her career, not ruin it" and undermines Judd's "defamation claim (as well as her retaliation claim) in its entirety", the court documents say.

In another statement, a spokesperson for Judd responding to the allegations said: "Mr. Weinstein's arguments seeking to escape the consequences of his despicable misconduct are not only baseless, they are offensive. We look forward to opposing his flawed motion, moving forward with discovery into his outrageous behavior, and proving to a jury that Mr. Weinstein maliciously damaged Ms. Judd's career because she resisted his sexual advances."

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Judd is a leading member of the Time’s Up movement against sexual harassment in the workplace. She alleged that because of Weinstein’s baseless allegations against her, she lost bagging a role in the 1998 film “The Lord of the Rings”. She spoke out about his behaviour as several others surfaced to talk about his sexual misconduct.

Peter Jackson's statement

The 50-year-old Judd further said that Weinstein misled 'The Lord Of The Rings' director Peter Jackson by saying that he'd had a bad experience with Judd, calling her a "nightmare". The New Zealand filmmaker also revealed that unaware of the sexual misconduct allegations against Weinstein, he was forced by the producer not to hire Judd or Mira Sorvino.

"I recall Miramax telling us they were a nightmare to work with and we should avoid them at all costs. This was probably in 1998," Jackson was quoted as telling Fairfax New Zealand. "At the time, we had no reason to question what these guys were telling us -- but in hindsight, I realize that this was very likely the Miramax smear campaign in full swing."

Over a dozen women have come out so far and accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct. And three women have accused the powerful film producer of rape. Even men from Hollywood spoke against Weinstein’s behaviour as several surfaced in the public, explaining his sexual misconduct.

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