Harvey Weinstein has been dealing with a slew of lawsuits since news first broke about his alleged treatment of various women he worked with in the movie business. One of these women was his ex-assistant Sandeep Rehal, who worked for Weinstein between 2013 and the early part of 2015 and who is now suing the former Hollywood mogul for putting her through duress. This includes reportedly cleaning up his semen and also having to dictate while he sat in front of her naked.
The new lawsuit was filed on Thursday, and states that Sandeep Rehal was put into "a personal and severe sexually hostile work environment." During the time she was employed by Harvey Weinstein, she says her boss often called her a "cunt" and a "pussy." Weekly, the suit alleges she was asked to take email dictation from Weinstein while he was naked. She also notes she was asked to "stock Caverject shots" (which are used for erectile dysfunction) and "clean up the semen" on a couch in Harvey Weinstein's office. All of these tasks led Sandeep Rehal to "severe emotional distress" as well as anxiety, according to the lawsuit.
Per a statement given to The Wrap, Harvey Weinstein has denied the various claims from Sandeep Rehal.
Mr. Weinstein categorically denies these claims and his lawyers will respond in the appropriate legal forum proving they are untrue. The evidence will show these claims for money are in the realm of a science fiction movie.
This isn't the first time Harvey Weinstein has been sued. Back in December, Harvey Weinstein, The Weinstein Company and Miramax were sued by a group of women over the alleged misconduct. Their filing can be viewed here. Earlier this month, in a complicated lawsuit, Weinstein was also sued for allegedly asking an attorney to interfere with Paz de la Huerta, who had previously alleged the former Weinstein Company producer raped her. Another lawsuit cites a 2010 incident with actress Dominique Huett, who claims Weinstein asked her to perform oral sex on him in exchange for a better career. Yet another lawsuit involves a husband and wife team who are suing The Weinstein Company after the program they were working on for Amazon was pulled by that latter company. The fallout from the initial allegations has been widespread.
Lawsuits like this have trickled out after a report in October explained Harvey Weinstein's alleged behavior. Subsequently, Weinstein was fired from The Weinstein Company for alleged misconduct and the company has tried to distance itself from the former powerful producer. Actresses and others who have worked in close proximity with Weinstein have also come out to share their stories in the time since, and the producer has stopped working in the industry. Now, The Weinstein Company even plans to change names. More lawsuits may be forthcoming, and if that happens, we'll keep you updated. In the meantime, it looks as if The Weinstein Company sale will be going through shortly.
