In a court filing on Wednesday, Harvey Weinstein requested that a judge dismiss a lawsuit filed against him by six women who say he assaulted them.
In a motion to dismiss the suit, Weinstein's lawyers used part of a statement made by Meryl Streep in which she said Weinstein "had always been respectful to her in their working relationship," and the Oscar winning actress is not happy about it.
"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," Streep said in a statement.
“The criminal actions he is accused of conducting on the bodies of these women are his responsibility,” continued Streep, “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."
Streep is not the only actress who Weinstein and his lawyers erroneously declared were supporting the Hollywood mogul. Weinstein's lawyers also tried to use part of a statement by Jennifer Lawrence in their motion. They noted she had once told Oprah that Weinstein "had only ever been nice to me."
Lawrence immediately issued a statement distancing herself from Weinstein, saying “Harvey Weinstein and his company are continuing to do what they have always done which is to take things out of context and use them for their own benefit. This is what predators do, and it must stop."
"For the record,” Lawrence continued, “while I was not victimized personally by Harvey Weinstein, I stand behind the women who have survived his terrible abuse and I applaud them in using all means necessary to bring him to justice whether through criminal or civil actions.” The actress concluded her statement saying "Time’s up."
Weinstein has since apologized to both Streep and Lawrence, and a spokesperson has revealed that he has now instructed his lawyers not to use the names of any other actors in court proceedings.