Weinstein's lawyers on Tuesday said in federal court in New York that the proposed class-action lawsuit filed by six women should be rejected. The lawyers also added that the assaults took place long ago. What's more? His lawyers also cited comments made by Meryl Streep saying that she said that he as not abusive toward her during their business relationship. This didn't seem to go down too well with Meryl.
The Hollywood veteran then released a statement expressing that she does not appreciate being part of disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein's legal defense. In her statement, she said, "Harvey Weinstein's attorneys' use of my (true) statement -- that he was not sexually transgressive or physically abusive in our business relationship -- as evidence that he was not abusive with many other women is pathetic and exploitive." She added, "The criminal actions he is accused of conducting on the bodies of these women are his responsibility, and if there is any justice left in the system he will pay for them -- regardless of how many good movies, made by many good people, Harvey was lucky enough to have acquired or financed."
Now, we have got to hear that Weinstein has apologised to the actress for her name used in his legal defense. A spokeswoman for Weinstein said “Even though Mr Weinstein has worked with hundreds of actresses and actors who had only professional and mutually respectful experiences with him, Mr Weinstein has directed in the future that no specific names be used by his counsel, even where those actors have made previous public statements about him. Mr Weinstein acknowledges the valuable input both Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence (whose name he had also taken) have contributed to this conversation and apologises." "Once again, moving forward, Mr Weinstein has advised his counsel to not include specific names of former associates; and to avoid whenever possible, even if they are in the public record," added the spokeswoman.
