Harvey Weinstein Accused of Sex Trafficking in New Lawsuit

A new lawsuit was filed against Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, and The Weinstein Company today in a federal court in New York. English actress Kadian Noble has filed a report about an assault by Weinstein that falls under the federal sex trafficking statute. She says that Weinstein's brother Bob was complicit in the attack, and that they used company resources to accomplish it.

According to Noble, Weinstein told her that he had a movie role in mind for her while he was on a trip to London in 2014. Later, in Cannes, France, Weinstein asked Noble to come to his hotel room, under false pretenses of business. Noble says that Weinstein began massaging her, then groping her. She cried out for him to stop, but Weinstein undressed her and forced her to perform sexual acts on him.

"Harvey Weinstein actively had no intention of following through with his promise of a role in a TWC project," says Noble's lawsuit. She and her lawyers argue that Weinstein knowingly used the opportunity to coerce her into gratifying him, then pulled the rug out from under her.

The lawsuit goes on to implicate Bob Weinstein and their company, saying, "Bob Weinstein and the Weinstein Company LLC participated in this venture of Harvey Weinstein, knowing, or in reckless disregard of the fact, that he would use force, fraud or coercion to engage aspiring young actresses in sexual activity."

Noble is seeking damages for her assault, though the details haven't been laid out yet.

A representative of the Weinsteins gave a response to reporters at The Wrap, saying "Mr. Weinstein denies allegations of non-consensual sex. Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances."

There's no word yet on when Weinstein and Noble are due in court. This is one of many lawsuits aimed at Weinstein in the last two months.