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Harvey Weinstein Accused of Sexually Assaulting 16-Year-Old in New Lawsuit

For the first time, a minor has been added to the list of alleged Harvey Weinstein victims.

Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexually assaulting a teenage aspiring actress, according to a court filing on Wednesday. Weinstein allegedly forced the Polish model to touch his penis and subjecting her to years of harassment and emotional torment.

The accuser has been referred to as “Jane Doe,” not wanting her identity to be revealed. A Polish model who had “dreams of becoming an actress,” Jane Doe arrived in New York in 2002. She met Weinstein later in the year at a modeling function, according to her lawyer.

She alleged that Weinstein’s harassment began in September of 2002, only three days after they met at the modeling event, when he “lured” the innocent girl to his SoHo apartment under the guise of a lunch meeting to discuss her acting career. Soon after the girl entered his apartment, Weinstein immediately began to threaten her, demanding that she take off her clothes and have sex with him, the lawsuit says.

“Terrified and struggling to hold back tears, Jane Doe said she would not and resisted his demands,” the filing says. “Jane Doe was a virgin, and had no intention or understanding when she agreed to a business lunch that she would be put in this alarming position.”

According to the lawsuit, “He told her that if she want(ed) to be an actress, she would have to be comfortable doing whatever the director told her to do – including losing her inhibitions and getting naked.”

Jane Doe allegedly resisted Weinstein’s attack and attempted to leave. Upon leaving, Weinstein told her that she needed to work on her stubbornness, according to the lawsuit.

Weinstein ‘Held the Keys to Her Success’, Lawsuit Claims

After the assault, Weinstein called and texted the girl, reminding her that he held the keys to her success. Later in 2004 or 2005, he ran into her at the Four Seasons in New York, where she was staying at the time. Weinstein attempted to gain access to her room, but security guards stopped him, the lawsuit says.

Weinstein continued to call the young actress, continually harassing and threatening her. According to the lawsuit, Jane Doe wanted “to avoid his wrath, and still wanting to become an actor, Jane Doe became well versed in the art of letting Weinstein down gently.”

Repeatedly refusing his advances, Jane Doe says that the movie producer has held her back from reaching her full potential in her acting career as revenge.

More than 80 women, many aspiring actresses, have accused the movie mogul of sexual harassment. Only three, however, were deemed within the statute of limitations by prosecutors.

According to Weinstein’s lawyer Benjamin Brafmin, “This case is falling apart because it is a fundamentally bad case, and bad cases eventually fall apart, even when law enforcement officials try and stack the deck against the accused.”

Weinstein is expected to appear in the New York Supreme Court on December 20 for the proceedings.

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Leighanna Shirey

Leighanna graduated with a degree in English from Pensacola Christian College. After teaching high school English for five years, she decided to pursue her dream of writing and editing. When not working, she enjoys traveling with her husband, spending time with her dogs, and drinking way too much coffee.

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