Actor Uma Thurman accuses Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault

[February 05, 2018]   By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor 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.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Additional reporting by Sharon Bernstein; Editing by Daniel Wallis)

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