Alexandra Canosa, a former employee of Harvey Weinstein‘s and an associate producer on the Netflix series Marco Polo, has filed a lawsuit against the disgraced Hollywood producer alleging he raped, physically assaulted and verbally abused her over five years.
She said that he repeatedly sexually assaulted and raped her between 2010 and 2014. Three of the incidents took place in New York City, making them of interest to prosecutors in the Manhattan district attorney’s office who have been investigating other sexual assault allegations against Weinstein.
The lawsuit claimed that Weinstein “constantly threatened” Canosa and “made it clear that if she did not succumb to his demands for sexual contact or if she exposed his unwanted contact there would be retaliation, including humiliation, the loss of her job and loss of any ability to work in the entertainment business.”
It also claims that Weinstein forced Canosa to meet him in “isolated environments for business purposes”, including hotel rooms in New York, Los Angeles, Hungary and Malaysia.
Law enforcement officials say some of the complaints reported have passed the statute of limitations, reports the New York Times, but the publication claims that the incidents mentioned might qualify as more serious sex crimes with no statues of limitations.
Canosa is also suing the Weinstein Company, claiming that the board “knew or should have known” about Weinstein’s conduct, and that they “facilitated, hid and support him”.
In a statement provided to CNN, Weinstein’s attorney Phyllis Kupferstein claimed the relationship was “consensual”.
“Ali Canosa was a friend who had worked for The Weinstein Company for 10 years, traveled the world for the company and held several influential roles; overseeing many projects throughout the years. From someone who has been thought of as a good friend, involved only in a consensual relationship, these claims are not only mystifying to Mr. Weinstein, but deeply upsetting, and they cannot be supported by the facts.”
It comes days after actress Ashley Judd also filed a lawsuit against Weinstein claiming that he “torpedoed” her career after deterring director Peter Jackson and producing partner Fran Walsh from working with her on the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
“The pathetic reality, however, was that Weinstein was retaliating against Ms. Judd for rejecting his sexual demands approximately one year earlier, when he cornered her in a hotel room under the guise of discussing business,” the lawsuit reads.
