Two new lawsuits against Harvey Weinstein allege rape and a smear campaign

The two latest lawsuits filed against Harvey Weinstein are, on their surface, about sexual harassment. But these complaints are, in fact, about power, and the way Weinstein allegedly used his to force women to provide him with sexual favors or torpedo their careers if they would not.

Ashley Judd, one of the first actresses to accuse Weinstein of sexual harassment, sued the disgraced movie mogul Monday night, alleging that he embarked on a smear campaign to ruin Judd’s film prospects after she rejected his sexual advances. That same day, Alexandra Canosa, a former associate producer on the Netflix series “Marco Polo,” filed an amended complaint against Weinstein, claiming that he repeatedly raped, sexually assaulted, verbally abused, and threatened her between 2010 and 2014.

“Harvey Weinstein used his power in the movie industry, physical power, and personality to overwhelm and subdue and threaten [Canosa] so that she would not refuse his advances,” Canosa’s lawsuit, which was filed in New York court, alleges. “Any objections to his conduct were met with anger and demands immediately to accede to his wishes or to face adverse consequences. Harvey Weinstein created an environment in which there was no choice but to do his bidding or suffer dire consequences both physically and to [Canosa’s] career.”

Judd, who filed her lawsuit in California court, says that Judd’s career suffered those “adverse consequences,” after she allegedly refused his advances in a hotel room in the late 1990s. Specifically, Judd’s lawsuit points to the revelation by Peter Jackson, the director of the “Lord of the Rings” series, that Jackson and his producing partner Fran Walsh cut Judd and actress Mira Sorvino out of consideration for roles in the the trilogy after Weinstein told him they were unprofessional.

“I recall Miramax telling us they were a nightmare to work with and we should avoid them at all costs,” Jackson said in a December interview, referring to the production company Harvey ran at the time with his brother, Bob Weinstein. “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.”

Thanks to Weinstein, the lawsuit alleges, Judd missed out on the opportunity to be in a series that ended up garnering 17 Oscars and $2.5 billion in ticket sales worldwide. Plus, if Judd had been in “Lord of the Rings,” she probably would’ve been able to ask for a higher salary while working on future films, according to the lawsuit.

In other words, Judd says, Weinstein’s alleged attack dented the rest of her career.

“I lost career opportunity. I lost money. I lost status and prestige and power in my career as a direct result of having been sexually harassed and rebuffing the sexual harassment,” Judd said in an interview with ABC News.

Weinstein has repeatedly denied all allegations of non-consensual sex. In a statement released Wednesday, a spokesperson for Weinstein said, “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.”

Both Conosa and Judd are seeking unspecified damages. Judd said she would donate any financial gains to the Time’s Up organization.

Cover image: REX/Shutterstock