A New York woman filed a lawsuit against film producer Harvey Weinstein, claiming he sexually abused her in her suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in November 2012.
The complaint filed on Friday in the Los Angeles Superior Court said the woman, Hayley Gripp, now 27, was lured into Weinstein’s room by a colleague who struck up a conversation with her in the hotel lobby.
Once inside the room, Weinstein allegedly sexually abused and tried to rape Gripp, arresting her, forcibly penetrating her with his fingers and exposing his genitals to her while he masturbated over her body.
Gripp fought and managed to escape the attack and, in doing so, “caused significant damage to Weinstein’s genitals,” the suit said.
The lawsuit alleges that the attack was facilitated by Weinstein’s associate, who persuaded Gripp to meet Weinstein, coerced her into drinking an alcoholic drink, guarded the door during the attack and threatened to “ruin Gripp’s life” if she reported the incident .
Gripp, an aspiring actress and model, was 19 at the time of the alleged incident. She was at Beverly Hilton before joining the cast.
Weinstein’s unidentified associate invited Gripp to meet the producer and discuss the woman’s work for the Tourette Syndrome Foundation. Gripp, who suffers from Tourette’s syndrome, was a young ambassador for the organization, now known as the Tourette Association of America.
Gripp did not reveal the incident to anyone, saying in the lawsuit that she was “scared and intimidated” by Weinstein’s threats. She also feared “having problems” for reacting.
The lawsuit said that Gripp did not realize that Weinstein was his alleged perpetrator until November 2018, when several allegations of sexual abuse against the producer became widely publicized, triggering the #MeToo movement. Gripp said she was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, which she acknowledged to be related to the alleged assault.
Weinstein, 69, was convicted in February 2020 for committing a criminal sexual act and rape in the third degree. He is serving a 20-year sentence for a 2006 attack on former production assistant Mimi Haley. Weinstein faces a further three years in prison for raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann at a Manhattan hotel in 2013. The sentences will be consecutive.
In October, Los Angeles County prosecutors accused the disgraced Hollywood tycoon of six additional sexual assault charges involving two more alleged victims. He is accused of raping and sexually assaulting five women in LA County from 2004 to 2013.
Christa Riggins, Gripp’s lawyer, said the woman is not filing a criminal case against Weinstein, but is willing to cooperate with the police if she pursues the case. Gripp is asking for a jury trial and seeks unspecified damages.
Imran H. Ansari, Weinstein’s lawyer, told the New York Post that his client denies Gripp’s claims.
“Mr. Weinstein categorically denies the charges made against him in the denunciation that has come out of the hole and intends to defend himself vigorously against the process,” said Ansari.