Uma Thurman accuses Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault

LOS ANGELES | Actress Uma Thurman has accused movie producer Harvey Weinstein of sexually assaulting her at a London hotel after they worked together on the 1994 hit film “Pulp Fiction.”

In a New York Times article on Saturday by columnist Maureen Dowd, Thurman broke her silence after saying in October that she would wait to speak out about inappropriate behavior in the workplace because she did not want to say anything in anger.

Thurman became the latest of more than 70 women who have accused 65-year-old Weinstein of sexual misconduct, including rape. Weinstein’s lawyer said on Saturday that the producer had immediately apologized to Thurman for making an “awkward pass” at her 25 years ago, but that her claims about being physically assaulted were untrue.

In the Times article, Thurman, 47, said Weinstein pushed her down when she met him in his suite at London’s Savoy Hotel.

“He tried to shove himself on me. He tried to expose himself. He did all kinds of unpleasant things. But he didn’t actually put his back into it and force me,” she told the newspaper.


Asked for further comment by Reuters, a representative for Thurman said the Times article spoke for itself.

Weinstein’s lawyer, Ben Brafman, said the producer was stunned and saddened by what he considered false allegations from someone he worked closely with for more than two decades.

“Mr Weinstein acknowledges making an awkward pass at Ms Thurman 25 years ago which he regrets and immediately apologized for,” Brafman said in a statement.

“Why Ms Thurman would wait 25 years to publicly discuss this incident and why according to Weinstein, she would embellish what really happened to include false accusations of attempted physical assault is a mystery to Weinstein and his attorneys.”

Brafman said Thurman’s statements to the Times were being carefully examined and investigated “before deciding whether any legal action against her would be appropriate.”

As well as starring in “Pulp Fiction” by director Quentin Tarantino, Thurman was the lead actor in his two-film “Kill Bill” action series, which were produced by Weinstein’s Miramax studio and earned more than $330 million at global box offices.

source: interaksyon.com

Bill Cosby accused of three more sexual assaults as deposition looms

LOS ANGELES | Three more women came forward on Wednesday to accuse veteran comedian Bill Cosby of sexually assaulting them decades ago, charges that come a week before Cosby is scheduled to give a sworn deposition in a separate sexual assault lawsuit.

Sharon Van Ert, Pamela Abeyta and Lisa Christie appeared at a Los Angeles news conference and alleged that Cosby assaulted them. They were teary-eyed as they gave their accounts.

The news conference with celebrity attorney Gloria Allred came a week ahead of a deposition that Cosby, 78, has been ordered to give in a lawsuit brought by another Allred client, a woman accusing the comedian of sexually abusing her at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles when she was 15 years old.

Allred said she is opposing Cosby’s motion for a protective order to restrict public release of the deposition he is set to give Oct 9. “There should be transparency,” she said. A court is expected to decide the matter ahead of his deposition.

Allred said that while the statute of limitations prevents the three women at Wednesday’s news conference from taking legal action, they wanted to add their voices to the more than 50 women who already have come forward with similar allegations.

Van Ert said she met Cosby when she was a waitress at a Southern California beachside jazz club in 1976. She said Cosby offered to walk her to her car one night and got in with her. She said she blacked out, woke up later alone and suspected Cosby of drugging and assaulting her.

Abeyta said that in 1975, when she was 25 and aspiring to appear in Playboy magazine, she arranged to meet Cosby and was taken to a Las Vegas hotel and given her own bedroom in his penthouse suite. She said she believes her drink was drugged when she attended a show with Cosby and his friends. She awoke later in the comedian’s bed.

Christie said she met Cosby when she was a model and aspiring actress aged 18, and he cast her as an extra on “The Cosby Show.” She said she viewed him as a father figure and maintained a platonic relationship with him for two years, but then he attempted to coerce her into sleeping with him.

Cosby’s lawyers have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing by the 78 year-old entertainer. A representative on Wednesday said Cosby had no comment on the latest allegations.

source: interaksyon.com