German actress Emma Loman accused Harvey Weinstein of sexually assaulting her during the Cannes Film Festival in 2006 in a new lawsuit filed on Monday in Los Angeles, according to The Guardian. Loman is suing the disgraced producer for assault, battery, false imprisonment, and violation of human trafficking laws.
Loman's claims about Weinstein's behavior throughout the lawsuit are eerily similar to those made by dozens of other actresses and women who have broken their silence during the #MeToo movement. Loman alleges that while she was hesitant to accept Weinstein's invitation to Cannes, she finally gave in after his assistant called her up to 30 times a day. She also claims that Weinstein promised to discuss her career.
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But the most troubling behavior allegedly began after Weinstein and Loman arrived in France. According to the lawsuit, Weinstein invited Loman into his hotel room where he allegedly "overpowered Loman and raped her." The lawsuit also claims Loman didn't come forward before because she worried Weinstein would destroy her career.
"Fearful both that no one would believe her and the potential retaliation from such a powerful figure, Loman stayed silent," the lawsuit reads, according to The Guardian. "It was only upon the late 2017 revelation of the scope of Weinstein's wrongful actions ... that Loman felt safe coming forward to seek redress for Weinstein's rape of her."
Neither Weinstein's lawyer nor his agent immediately responded to Refinery29's request for comment.
Weinstein currently faces three separate rape charges in New York. Earlier this month, his legal team tried to get the court to dismiss one case, claiming past emails from the accuser to Weinstein confirmed the two had a consensual sexual relationship. Weinstein denies allegations that he had non-consensual interactions with any of his accusers, and he's set to appear back in court on September 20, 2018 for a hearing.
If you have experienced sexual violence and are in need of crisis support, please call the RAINN Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
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