Judge dismisses Rose McGowan's civil claims against Harvey Weinstein

Rose McGowan’s civil claims against Harvey Weinstein and his attorneys have been dismissed by a federal judge. She is, however, allowed to proceed with the argument that she was defrauded when she was tricked into revealing details of her memoir.

Rose McGowan filed the federal suit in October 2019 in which she accused the former media mogul Harvey Weinstein and attorneys Lisa Bloom and David Boies of conspiring to discredit her and to suppress her claim that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted her.

Rose retells that in 2016 and 2017 when she was preparing to come forward against Harvey Weinstei, she was approached by a woman she knew as Diana Filip, who purported to be an advocate for women. According to the suit, Filip gained Rose McGowan’s confidence and was able to see a draft of ‘Brave’, Rose McGowan’s memoir. 

In the same, she accused Harvey Weinstein of assaulting her at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997. 

In a ruling on Monday, Judge Otis Wright dismissed nine of the 11 claims in the complaint. Several of the claims were dismissed because the suit was filed after the two-year statute of limitations. The judge also rejected the civil RICO charge on the grounds that the alleged scheme to trick her into turning over a copy of her book did not constitute racketeering activity.

McGowan had also argued that the fraud caused her significant harm, including lost job opportunities, damage to professional relationships and mental health issues.

“Based on these allegations, the Court finds that McGowan adequately alleges she suffered concrete damages as a result of Defendants’ fraudulent conduct,” the judge wrote.