Meryl Streep slams Harvey Weinstein for 'pathetic' use of her words in lawsuit

The actress blasts Weinstein's use of her statement in his defence

Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images (Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Meryl Streep has called Harvey Weinstein "pathetic and exploitative" for using one of her statements in his defence against a sexual misconduct lawsuit claim.

The actress' words were used in a motion filed by Weinstein's team in a racketeering lawsuit made by Louisette Geiss, Katherine Kendall, Zoe Brock, Sarah Ann Thomas (AKA Sarah Ann Masse), Melissa Sagemiller and Nannette Klatt.

These women all claim Weinstein sexually assaulted or harassed them and that the people working for him covered up his crimes.

They also claimed that Weinstein's "sexual enterprise" should be known as an organised crime group.

The producer's lawyers made a motion to dismiss the lawsuit saying it was “fatally overbroad” and would apply to “all women who ever met with Weinstein" regardless of whether or not they were harmed.

The suit had included references to both Streep and actress Jennifer Lawrence saying, “Such women would include, presumably, Jennifer Lawrence, who told Oprah Winfrey she had known Weinstein since she was 20 years old and said ‘he had only ever been nice to me,’ and Meryl Streep, who stated publicly that Weinstein had always been respectful to her in their working relationship."

Street responded to Weinstein's use of her statement in the motion to The Hollywood Reporter saying, “Harvey Weinstein’s attorneys’ use of my (true) statement – that he was not sexually transgressive or physically abusive in our business relationship – as evidence that he was not abusive with many other women is pathetic and exploitive."

She then added, "The criminal actions he is accused of conducting on the bodies of these women are his responsibility, and if there is any justice left in the system he will pay for them – regardless of how many good movies, made by many good people, Harvey was lucky enough to have acquired or financed.”

Currently the producer has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than 75 women, and his representative denies all allegations of "non-consensual sex" being made against him.

Weinstein's team filed the motion the same day the Weinstein Company and other defendants tried to dismiss the lawsuit.

The Weinstein Company maintains they weren't aware of Weinstein's behaviour and that they aren't responsible for his actions.