A Manhattan judge ruled that a sex-trafficking case against disgraced media mogul Harvey Weinstein was allowed to proceed.
Actress Kadian Noble originally sued Weinstein back in 2017, claiming he sexually assaulted her, according to a report published Monday by Page Six.
Harvey Weinstein’s effort to quickly appeal sex trafficking claims brought against him in a civil lawsuit by actress Kadian Noble was rejected yesterday. https://t.co/IvQovtCKX5
— CBS New York (@CBSNewYork) August 6, 2019
A judge dismissed part of the lawsuit and in turn Weinstein requested a judge freeze a civil case against him relating to Noble’s original lawsuit. The media mogul’s lawyers argued against the sex-trafficking case claiming that the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 was written to protect against slavery and human trafficking for commercial gain and was being used wrongly against Weinstein.
However, multiple judges have ruled that the casting couch situation, in which promises of career advancement in exchange for sexual favors is considered sex trafficking. (RELATED: Judge In Harvey Weinstein Case Closes Courtroom To Press And Public)
“At least two courts have subsequently adopted Judge Sweet’s analysis in similar cases, finding that ‘thing of value’ can include career advancement or even just the promise of career advancement,” Judge Alison Nathan wrote.
Harvey Weinstein lost an effort Monday to get a federal appeals court to quickly decide whether sex trafficking claims can legally be brought against him. https://t.co/sQ5Lvmwgth
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) August 6, 2019
The judge denied Weinstein’s motion Monday saying she saw no reason to grant his request.
“Weinstein has failed to show that this case falls into the category of truly exceptional cases for which interlocutory appeal was designed,” the judge wrote in her decision.
Multiple women have since accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting them since Noble came forward. However, Weinstein has maintained his innocence.