LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Actress Rose McGowan filed suit today in Los Angeles against Harvey Weinstein and others, alleging a ``diabolical and illegal effort'' to discredit her claims that she was sexually assaulted by the disgraced film producer.
The complaint, filed in Los Angeles federal court, also names Weinstein's former attorneys Lisa Bloom and David Boies, as well as the private intelligence firm Black Cube, described in the document as part of the ``Weinstein Protection Enterprise.''
Weinstein's lawyer Phyllis Kupferstein responded that McGowan will ``be shown to be what she is -- a publicity-seeker looking for money. From the moment she sought a multi-million dollar payout in return for not making these baseless allegations, which we rejected, we knew that she was waiting for an opportune time to begin this (lawsuit).''
McGowan's claims include racketeering, violations of the Federal Wiretap Act, invasion of privacy, fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
``This case is about a diabolical and illegal effort by one of America's most powerful men and his representatives to silence sexual-assault victims,'' according to the 72-page lawsuit. ``And it is about the courageous women and journalists who persisted to reveal the truth.''
The actress contends that when Weinstein discovered that she planned to write a memoir and would include allegations that the ex-producer raped her in 1997 at the Sundance Film Festival, his team of ``fixers'' attempted to buy her silence and, when that failed, undertook an effort to damage her credibility, according to the lawsuit.
The suit also refers to Bloom's alleged efforts to defend Weinstein, in which she put forth a plan to enhance her then-client's reputation and discredit McGowan, the suit contends. McGowan also accuses Bloom of invading her privacy.
Bloom's lawyer, Eric M. George, said it was ``inexcusable'' that McGowan named his client as a defendant in the complaint.
``Facts matter,'' George said. ``There is simply no credible factual or legal basis for her claims against my client. We look forward to our day in court to set the record straight.''
According to the lawsuit, McGowan ``has suffered tremendously from defendants' conspiracy and lies. Her book sales suffered; her expenses mounted; her job opportunities vanished; and her emotional health cratered. She has experienced trauma and depression from defendants' actions, and the deep betrayal will have life-long effects.''