Harvey Weinstein is now under investigation by the LAPD after hearing detailed testimony from an actress-model who, according to the Los Angeles Times, is the sixth woman to accuse Weinstein of rape.
The alleged incident took place in a hotel room in 2013; Weinstein had met the actress initially in Rome, and invited her to his hotel room—an invitation that she declined. Later, Weinstein saw her at the Los Angeles, Italia Film, Fashion and Art Fest, which was held in a hotel in Beverly Hills. Weinstein allegedly asked the actress if he could go to her room; she said no, but she says he decided to take matters into his own hands.
“He ... bullied his way into my hotel room, saying, ‘I’m not going to [have sex with] you, I just want to talk,’” the woman told The Times. “Once inside, he asked me questions about myself, but soon became very aggressive and demanding and kept asking to see me naked. He grabbed me by the hair and forced me to do something I did not want to do. He then dragged me to the bathroom and forcibly raped me.”
She told her attorney she tried to dissuade Weinstein by showing him pictures of her children.
After about 45 minutes, Weinstein departed.
The actress never reported Weinstein out of fear, telling only a friend, her priest and the nanny. Her children eventually encouraged her to come forward.
What’s different about this case is that it could present actual legal trouble for Weinstein because of its timing: the incident falls within the 10-year statute of limitations that existed at the time of the alleged crime, so there’s a chance that Weinstein could be prosecuted for this. The unnamed actress joins over 40 women who have accused Weinstein of inappropriate behavior, rape or other sexual harassment.