It was only a matter of time before one of Harvey Weinstein’s alleged victims demanded some accountability from the Walt Disney Company. The Toronto Sun reports that the first appears to be an unnamed Toronto actress accusing Weinstein of two sexual assaults in 2000.
A statement of claim has been filed in Toronto, which is the first step before launching the actual lawsuit. Tragically, the details of the Jane Doe claim are, by now, all-too familiar, but no less horrifying.
After an introduction to Weinstein on the set of a Miramax film, a hotel meeting was set up. According to the actress’s statement, once the two of them were alone behind closed doors, Weinstein “overpowered her, pushed her onto the bed, and took his penis out of his pants.” From there she alleges the mogul forced her skirt down, grabbed her wrists, and “forced oral sex on her.”
She claims she eventually broke free and ran past a Weinstein assistant who “looked down.” She told her agent, but Weinstein claimed it was all a big misunderstanding. The statement explains how the second assault took place. “Doe was fearful that her movie career, which had barely begun, could be destroyed if she did not return to the hotel and give Weinstein a chance to apologize.”
At the second meeting, she says Weinstein “threw his weight onto her and tried to stick his tongue down her throat.”
The actress claims she still has voice mails from Weinstein and that he continued to harass her.
So why is Disney named as a co-defendant along with Weinstein?
At the time of the alleged assault, the year 2000, Disney owned Miramax and Weinstein, along with his brother Bob, ran that company. In other words, Harvey Weinstein worked for Disney.
In early October, Breitbart News was the first to report on Disney’s potential liability. For 12 full years (1993 – 2005), Disney owned Miramax while Weinstein ran it. According to the New York Times, Weinstein settled with actress Rose McGowan, who claims she was raped by the mogul, in the middle of those years, 1997. Now we have another assault allegation during the Disney years.
The question of potential liability for Disney will likely surround what the multinational did or did not know about Weinstein’s alleged behavior while they were cutting him fat checks for winning Oscars. Did Disney know about the McGowan suit? Did Disney know about what many now say was an “open secret” about Weinstein at the time? If Disney did know and did nothing, did the company have a responsibility to protect Miramax employees or perspective employees, like this Toronto actress?
As expected, Disney fired off a quick response to the news reports: “There is absolutely no legal basis for this claim against The Walt Disney Company and we will defend against it vigorously.”
Another wrinkle for the left-wing Disney Co. is that its chairman and CEO, Bob Iger, has been making noise about challenging President Trump for the presidency as a Democrat in 2020. Iger has been with Disney since 1996, became COO (second in charge) in 2000, and took over as the top man in 2005.
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