Jennifer Lawrence has been forced to speak out about the nature of her relationship with Harvey Weinstein after an actress filed a lawsuit against the disgraced movie man, saying he boasted about sleeping with the star prior to her Oscar win.
WATCH: Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers have ‘proof’ accusers are lying
Citing court documents, Variety reported that the actress — referred in the suit as Jane Doe — alleged that Weinstein “forcibly performed oral sex on her, repeatedly masturbated in front of her and threatened to harm her career if she objected.”
“I slept with Jennifer Lawrence and look where she is; she has just won an Oscar,” the accuser recalled Weinstein telling her, Variety reported.
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, Lawrence — who won an Oscar for the Weinstein-produced film Silver Linings Playbook — denied any sexual relationship with Weinstein.
“My heart breaks for all the women who were victimized by Harvey Weinstein,” Lawrence, 28, said.
“I have never had anything but a professional relationship with him. This is yet another example of the predatory tactics and lies that he engaged in to lure countless women.”
Reps for Weinstein, 66, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment but refuted the lawsuit’s claims in a statement to Vulture.
“This lawsuit was filed and updated strategically with no notice given or any attempt to reach out to Mr. Weinstein’s attorneys for one reason; It was meant to embarrass Mr. Weinstein and garner unchecked media attention,” the statement read. “There is absolutely no truth to the malicious claims made in this lawsuit, and we are reviewing our options with an eye on filing for an immediate dismissal.”
“Mr. Weinstein is embarrassed for Ms. Lawrence with whom he has only had a professional and respectful relationship, who has sadly been dragged into this ugly attempt at defamation,” the statement continued. “This filing further proves that anyone can say whatever they want in a lawsuit for maximum shock value, to defame and debase, without having to offer any facts or reality.”
In May, Weinstein was indicted on multiple rape charges in the first and third degrees as well as a criminal sexual act in the first degree in New York City. He pled not guilty in early June and is free on a $1 million bail with GPS monitoring, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Over 60 women have lodged sexual misconduct allegations against Weinstein since The New York Times and The New Yorker documented decades of allegations in detailed, Pulitzer-prize winning articles in late 2017.
A spokesperson for Weinstein told PEOPLE in a statement at the time that “any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.”
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
