Harvey Weinstein accuser Paz de la Huerta was targeted by a lawyer who convinced her to fire the law firm representing her and attempted to scuttle her case against the scandal-plagued producer, according to a lawsuit filed by a firm that says it was terminated by the actress.
In the suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday, Tensor Law says that New York attorney Michael Rubin — acting for the benefit of Weinstein and The Weinstein Company — sought to interfere with Tensor’s representation of Paz de la Huerta and to hinder its efforts to advance criminal and civil prosecution of Weinstein for alleged sexual assault against the actress.
“On information and belief, Rubin actually acted for the benefit of Weinstein and TWC – to interfere by a series of harmful subterfuges, threats, and extortion demands, entirely outside the legitimate strictures of the legal system,” the suit reads.
“In this plan, Rubin acted secretly to a) mislead De La Huerta into believing RUBIN was supporting her case, while in fact he was working to b) ruinously expose her medical records to the public, c) convince her to proceed without any representation, and to d) withdraw her complaint against Weinstein, ” the suit continues.
According to the suit, Rubin, identified in the complaint as “a specialist in the criminal defense of rapists,” contacted the actress “to falsely and fraudulently offer his expertise to ‘help assure success’ in her criminal charges against Weinstein.”
In reality, the suit says, Rubin convinced de la Huerta to dump Tensor by falsely claiming that the firm couldn’t practice law in New York. Afterward, Tensor alleges, Rubin told the actress that she had no case against Weinstein and should withdraw her allegations.
While de la Huerta didn’t withdraw her complaint, the suit says, she did terminate Tensor’s services.
The suit also alleges that Rubin called the Manhattan District Attorney assigned to the matter “with false and discouraging advice, leading to the abrupt halt of progress toward indictment of Weinstein.”
“Importantly, this case also turns on the nearly successful efforts of Rubin to cause a waiver of de la Huerta’s patient-psychotherapist privilege and to gain personal possession of these records, thus releasing hundreds of pages of intensely personal details to the public,” the suit reads. “This sort of action – as Rubin and Weinstein both are likely aware – is exactly the reason why many woman will not seek criminal prosecution of a rapist. This included an effort by Rubin, to the benefit of Weinstein, to falsely represent himself as her attorney to attempt to gain control of the records, to attempt to cause de la Huerta to be unrepresented at a critical juncture, and to attempt to interfere with a proceeding in relation to a New York Grand Jury.”
The suit, which also names Weinstein and The Weinstein Company, alleges tortious interference with a contractual relationship and other counts.
A spokesperson for Harvey Weinstein told TheWrap that it’s shad”insanity” to suggest that Weinstein had any involvement in the activity alleged in the suit.
TheWrap has reached out to Rubin, as well as a representative for The Weinstein Company, for comment on the suit.
Tensor said that any funds collected from the suit will be donated equally between de la Huerta and the Time’s Up Campaign.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.