Ashley Judd filed a lawsuit Monday against Harvey Weinstein, accusing the disgraced movie mogul of defamation after she claims she rebuffed his advances.
In the suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and acquired by the New York Daily News, Judd claims that Weinstein "torpedoed" her chance to be cast in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy with "false and malicious statements he made regarding (her) professionalism."
Weinstein allegedly told director Peter Jackson and production partner Fran Walsh that he had a "bad experience" with Judd, calling her a "nightmare" to work with and urging the team to avoid her "at all costs."
"With those baseless smears, Weinstein succeeded in blacklisting Ms. Judd and destroying her ability to work on what became a multibillion-dollar franchise with 17 Academy Award wins and many more nominations," the suit states.
Jackson corroborated Judd's allegations in December, saying that Weinstein and his brother Bob made similar comments about her and actress 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 1998," he told New Zealand outlet Stuff.
"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. I now suspect we were fed false information about both of these talented women _ and as a direct result their names were removed from our casting list."
Weinstein, through a rep, denied Judd's allegations.
"The most basic investigation of the facts will reveal that Mr. Weinstein neither defamed Ms. Judd nor ever interfered with Ms. Judd's career, and instead not only championed her work but also repeatedly approved her casting for two of his movies over the next decade," his spokesperson said in a statement.
"The actual facts will show that Mr. Weinstein was widely known for having fought for Ms. Judd as his first choice for the lead role in 'Good Will Hunting' and, in fact, arranged for Ms. Judd to fly to New York to be considered for the role. Thereafter, Ms. Judd was hired for not one, but two of Mr. Weinstein's movies, 'Frida' in 2002 and 'Crossing Over' with Harrison Ford in 2009. We look forward to a vigorous defense of these claims."
Judd previously told The New York Times that Weinstein lured her to his hotel room in 1997 while she was filming "Kiss the Girls." There, he allegedly pushed her to give him a massage and asked if she would watch him take a shower.
"I said no, a lot of ways, a lot of times, and he always came back at me with some new ask," she told the newspaper.
All money recovered in the lawsuit will be donated to a charity that benefits women and works to combat sexual harassment and discrimination, Judd said Monday.
"Mr. Weinstein's abusive conduct toward others has caused no end of damage to aspiring actors and others in the film and entertainment industry. As my experience and the experience of others shows, even a few false statements from Mr. Weinstein could destroy potentially career-changing professional opportunities," the actress said in a statement.
"It's time that Mr. Weinstein be held accountable for that conduct and for the ways in which he's damaged careers."
Weinstein, who has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by more than 100 women, has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex.
