Harvey Weinstein, the man who started it all Image by Getty

(JTA) — Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has been accused of harassment and sexual assault of a teen-age Polish model.

The unnamed woman filed a lawsuit in civil court in New York on Wednesday.

The lawsuit alleges that Weinstein assaulted her at his New York City apartment in 2002, after they met at an event in which her modeling agency was involved. It says that Weinstein forced her to touch his penis, and aggressively demanded that she have sex with him or that she would never work as an actress. The lawsuit says the teen was a virgin and did not give in to Weinstein’s demands.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Weinstein denies all allegations of nonconsensual sex, The Associated Press reported.

The lawsuit alleges that following the alleged assault, Weinstein called or texted the model every couple of weeks reminding her that he could prevent her from getting work as an actress. Weinstein “ensured she never received work,” the lawsuit alleges.

She is the tenth victim to join a class action lawsuit against Weinstein.

The accusations against Weinstein follows the publication by the New Yorker a year ago of accounts by several women from the movie industry who said he had forced himself on them and others for decades with the silent knowledge of many in the film industry and beyond.

Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount