|
 Judd had accused Weinstein of defaming her in 1998 after she
refused what she said were his sexual advances a year earlier.
In her lawsuit, filed in April 2018, the "Double Jeopardy"
actress accused Weinstein of smearing her reputation by
discouraging director Peter Jackson from casting her in his
blockbuster movie franchise "The Lord of the Rings."
Judd, one of the first women in October 2017 to publicly accuse
Weinstein of sexual misconduct, had accused the Hollywood movie
mogul of sexual harassment in violation of a California law
barring such conduct by a person in a "business, service or
professional relationship" with another.
In a footnote to his ruling, U.S. District Judge Philip
Gutierrez said he was not determining whether Judd was sexually
harassed by Weinstein "in the colloquial sense of the term."
But Gutierrez said that Judd's relationship as an actress with
the film producer was not covered under the California statute
she had sued under, nor under a 2019 amendment.
“We have said from the beginning that this claim was
unjustified, and we are pleased that the court saw it as we did.
We believe that we will ultimately prevail on her remaining
claims,” Weinstein's lawyer, Phyllis Kupferstein, said in a
statement.
But Judd's attorney, Theodore J. Boutrous, Jr., said that this
ruling does not upend Judd's complaint.
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“Nothing about today’s ruling changes that Ms. Judd’s case is moving
forward on multiple claims," Boutrous said in a statement late
Wednesday.
"We look forward to pursuing the three claims for relief that the
Court has already ruled can move forward,” he also said.
Weinstein is to stand trial in May in New York on five charges,
including rape, involving two other women.
The disgraced Hollywood producer of movies like "Shakespeare in
Love" has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than 70 women.
He has denied the accusations, saying any sexual encounters were
consensual.
Judd's lawsuit had alleged Weinstein "cornered her in a hotel room
in 1997 under the guise of discussing business." When she refused
his demands, he retaliated by making what she called "baseless
smears" against her to "Lord of the Rings" director Jackson, and she
lost a part in the movie.
Weinstein denied defaming Judd or interfering with her career.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; additional reporting by Rich McKay;
Additional reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Grant McCool
and Lisa Shumamker)
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