Harvey Weinstein Responds to Ashley Judd Defamation Lawsuit

Harvey Weinstein is lashing back after Ashley Judd announced that she has filed a lawsuit for attempting to ruin her career.

The 50-year-old actress – who was one of the first to come forward when the 66-year-old disgraced producer‘s scandal came to light – says that Harvey smeared her reputation to Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, leading him to not cast her.

Ashley is seeking damages for defamation, sexual harassment, and violations of California’s unfair business competition law.

After the suit was filed, a representative of Harvey‘s had this to say on the disgraced producer’s behalf:

“The most basic investigation of the facts will reveal that Mr. Weinstein neither defamed Ms. Judd nor ever interfered with Ms. Judd’s career, and instead not only championed her work but also repeatedly approved her casting for two of his movies over the next decade,” THR reports. “The actual facts will show that Mr. Weinstein was widely known for having fought for Ms. Judd as his first choice for the lead role in Good Will Hunting and, in fact, arranged for Ms. Judd to fly to New York to be considered for the role. Thereafter, Ms. Judd was hired for not one, but two of Mr. Weinstein’s movies, Frida in 2002 and Crossing Over with Harrison Ford in 2009. We look forward to a vigorous defense of these claims.”