A New York Supreme Court judge on Monday denied motions by talent agency CAA, Walt Disney Co. and Miramax to dismiss actress Julia Ormond’s lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein for sexual battery. The suit, filed last October, named CAA for negligence and breach of fiduciary duty, as well as Walt Disney Co.
and Miramax, accusing them of negligent supervision and retention. “The complaint sufficiently alleges that CAA failed to protect plaintiff from Weinstein, failing to warn her of his alleged reputation while at the same time negotiating the production company agreement between the plaintiff and Miramax, and later arranging the dinner meeting between plaintiff and Weinstein,” said the court in its ruling. Disney owned Miramax at the time of the alleged assault.
“We are very pleased by the Court’s decision, which is a complete repudiation of CAA, Disney, and Miramax’s attempts to evade accountability for their failure to protect Julia Ormond from Harvey Weinstein. The case will now proceed to discovery, where, thanks to Ms. Ormond’s bravery, we will be able to expose the truth of how these powerful Hollywood companies enabled Harvey Weinstein,” said Ormond’s attorneys Meredith A.
Firetog and Kevin Mintzer in a statement to The Times. Representatives for CAA and Disney were not immediately available for comment. Ormond, who starred in such films as “Legends of the Fall” and the remake of “Sabrina,” alleged that the disgraced movie mogul sexually assaulte.