CAA and Disney cannot dismiss cases against Harvey Weinstein

CAA has lost its attempt to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Julia Ormond, who accused the agency of failing to warn her about Harvey Weinstein's past of sexual misconduct before she met with the former movie mogul that led to her assault.

Ormond filed a wide-ranging lawsuit last year accusing her former agency, Miramax and Disney of ignoring Weinstein's crimes. After the attack on her, her then-agents, who were allegedly told by another client that Weinstein offered sex in exchange for career opportunities, said they discouraged her from reporting the incident to authorities.

In an order refusing to dismiss the case, New York Judge Suzanne Adams on Monday found that the allegations “imply that the CAA knew or had reason to know of a possible attack by Weinstein,” which could constitute a breach by the agency of its fiduciary duties to Ormond, who in the 1990s played a leading role in Legends of the Fall, First Knight And Sabrina.

Lawsuits were also allowed against Disney, Miramax and Weinstein.

Ormond's lawsuit alleged that her former agents, Bryan Lourd and Kevin Huvane, encouraged her to attend a meeting with Weinstein that led to her assault and not to report the incident to law enforcement. She also accused Disney executives Jeffrey Katzenberg and Michael Eisner of negligently shifting responsibility to Weinstein's oversight, with the goal of overlooking the wrongdoing so they could continue to profit from the company's dealings with Miramax. Neither individual was named as defendants in the lawsuit.