Judge Dismisses Rose McGowan’s Lawsuit Against Harvey Weinstein

McGowan’s lawsuit was dismissed after she missed a paperwork filing deadline.

A California judge has dismissed Rose McGowan’s lawsuit against disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, after the actress missed a court deadline to file paperwork supporting her complaint.

According to NBC News, McGowan—who has starred in television production “Charmed,” as well as films like “Scream” and “Jawbreaker”—was among the first women to accuse Weinstein of sexual assault.

McGowan’s lawsuit, notes NBC News, was first filed in October 2019.

Interestingly, McGowan accused Weinstein and his attorneys of violating the federal Racketeering and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Better known as “RICO,” the act’s criminal provisions have been used to combat organized crime syndicates such as the American Mafia and Mexican drug cartels.

However, McGowan said that Weinstein and his associates were effectively acting as a corrupt organization, insofar as they purportedly tried to silence her from speaking out against the now-infamous film producer.

Specifically, McGowan claimed that Weinstein and his former attorneys “conspired to smear, defraud and marginalize” her as she prepared to make public rape allegations against Weinstein.

McGowan, adds The New York Times, had previously reached an undisclosed settlement with Weinstein in 1997, “after an episode in a hotel room at the Sundance Film Festival.”

Despite McGowan’s claims, District Judge Otis Wright said that McGowan had been given until Thursday to file documents supporting her case.

Since McGowan did not file timely, her claims were dismissed “with prejudice”—meaning they cannot be brought again, no matter the strength of her claim.

NBC News reports that Weinstein attorneys have welcomed the development.

“Out of the public glare, with proper time, legal work, evidence and facts, this is the way we believe they ultimately all will go,” a Weinstein spokesperson said in a statement. “A chapter is put behind as Mr. Weinstein keeps going forward to demonstrate the truth.”

As LegalReader.com has reported before, Weinstein has been accused of sexual assault and rape by numerous women. Several high-profile actresses, including Salma Hayek, said that Weinstein had tried to sabotage their careers after they refused to have sexual relations with him.

Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence after being convicted by a New York City jury of raping two women.

According to National Public Radio, the former producer is expected to face another trial in Los Angeles, where prosecutors have charged him with multiple counts of rape and sexual assault; Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to the eleven charges levied against him.

Sources

A federal judge dismisses Rose McGowan’s lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein

Judge dismisses Rose McGowan’s lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein over missed deadline