100/2018 • 05 MAY, 2018 WEEKEND ISSUE
DAILY NEWS IN ENGLISH
Actress Ashley Judd sues Harvey Weinstein for defamation, ruining career The lawsuit claims Weinstein smeared Judd to ruin her chance of playing a role after she refused his
Hollywood actress Ashley Judd on Monday sued Harvey Weinstein, alleging that the disgraced producer "torpedoed" her career nearly two decades ago after she refused his sexual advances. The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court accuses Weinstein of disparaging Judd to "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson and his production partner Fran Walsh in 1998, a year after the actress allegedly turned down Weinsteinʼs sexual advances in a hotel room. At the time she was being considered for a major roll in the blockbuster trilogy. "With those baseless smears, Weinstein succeeded in blacklisting Ms. Judd and destroying her ability to work on what became a multibillion-dollar franchise with 17 Academy Award wins and many more nominations," the suit states. "Weinstein used his power in the entertainment industry to damage Ms. Juddʼs reputation and limit her ability to find work," the lawsuit added. Judd was one of the first women to come forward last fall alleging Weinstein sexually harassed her. The revelations led to more than 70 other women coming forward with stories of rape or sexual harassment that ultimately brought down Weinstein and the company he founded with his brother Bob. Following the revelations, Jackson in December said that he recalled Weinstein pressuring him not to hire Judd or actress Mira
Sorvino. "I recall Miramax telling us they were a nightmare to work with and we should avoid them at all costs. This was probably in 1998," Jackson was quoted as telling Fairfax New Zealand. "At the time, we had no reason to question what these guys were telling us — but in hindsight, I realize that this was very likely the Miramax smear campaign in full swing." The civil lawsuit filed by Judd does not implicate Parker. A representative for Weinstein said in a statement that the producer "neither defamed Ms. Judd nor ever interfered with Ms. Juddʼs career." It said that Weinstein had supported her role in two of his movies, "Frida" in 2002, and "Crossing Over" in 2009. A leading figure in the #Metoo movement, Judd said that any damages awarded from a trial would be donated to the Timeʼs Up legal fund, "so that women and men in all professions may have legal redress for sexual harassment, economic retaliation and damage to their careers." In 1997, upcomer Ashley Judd was invited to meet star-maker Harvey Weinstein at an LA hotel, whereupon he tried to coerce her into bed. Judd escaped but refused to be silenced. Many in Hollywood then said the producerʼs sexual misconduct was an "open secret." "There wasnʼt a place for us to report these experiences," said Judd, the first to call out Weinstein in the New York Times in October.
Münster attack victim dies weeks after rampage
Turkish court upholds travel ban for German reporter
NATO and Washington worry about Russian subs
A 74-year-old has succumbed to serious injuries sustained in the Münster car rampage earlier in April. He is the fourth person to die after Jens R. drove his van into bystanders and then shot himself. German authorities confirmed one more victim of the Münster attack died on Thursday, 19 days aftercar rampagewhich previously claimed the lives of two victims and the driver in northwest Germany. The latest victim was a 74year-man from the nearby city of Hamm who passed away in a Münster hospital.
German reporter Mesale Tolu will not be allowed to leave Turkey, where she faces charges of terrorist propaganda, a Turkish court has decided. The "political decision" leaves the 33-year-old facing an uncertain future. German reporter Mesale Tolu will not be allowed to leave Turkey, where she is on trial on terror-related charges, a Turkish court ruled Thursday. Tolu said the decision was "politically motivated" and announced she would appeal. She also decried "harassment" by Turkish judiciary.
NATO foreign ministers are due to meet in Brussels to discuss increasingly bitter relations with Russia. Tensions have led the United States to move back into an Icelandic air base it left more than a decade ago. Captain Jon Gudnason, commander of Icelandʼs Keflavik Air Base for the last 30 years, chuckled recalling the brief phone call he got from US officials in May 2014. They informed him they wanted to reinstall some personnel in the base theyʼd left eight years earlier.
Judd was one of the first women to come forward about Weinsteinʼs alleged serial sexual harassment.
A German rightwing extremist soldierʼs double life One year ago, a right-wing extremist German army officer was arrested on suspicion of terrorism, then it was discovered he was also leading a double life as a Syrian refugee. The case is anything but closed. "At first I just couldnʼt believe it," Christof Gramm, head of the Military CounterIntelligence Service (MAD) told the German weekly magazine Spiegel in 2017: "Weʼve never had a case like this in the counter-extremism program at MAD."