Four women have filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein, also naming his brother Bob Weinstein and the Walt Disney Company as defendants, according to Deadline. The women, who are listed on the suit as Jane Does I, II, III, and IV, say that the Walt Disney Company, which at the time of the alleged assaults owned Miramax, was aware of Weinstein’s actions and “ratified or concealed” the producer’s behavior. A representative for Disney told Deadline, “There is absolutely no legal basis for claims against the company,” a familiar defense the company used in 2019 when Kaja Sokola accused Disney of covering up for Weinstein.
The new suit alleges that Weinstein raped Jane Doe II in 1994 when she was 17 years old, then threatened to harm her and derail her career should she tell anyone what happened. The suit also reads that Weinstein “falsely imprisoned” Jane Doe I in 1984, raped Jane Doe III in 2008, and sexually assaulted Jane Doe IV in 2013. The women are requesting a trial and that “Weinstein be held liable for sexually abusing them, and Robert Weinstein, Miramax, and Disney be held liable for their negligence and other unlawful conduct in allowing the abuse to happen,” as stated in the filings.
Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year sentence in upstate New York, where he awaits extradition to California to face separate charges of rape and sexual battery.