A woman who claims disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein tried to attack her in a Beverly Hills hotel room says she only escaped by stabbing his genitals with a broken nail and making him scream in pain.
Hayley Gripp, who works as a certified advocate for children of trauma and special needs, was only 19 at the time of the alleged 2012 attack.
In papers filed Friday in California Superior Court in Los Angeles, Gripp claims she was introduced to Weinstein after meeting a female associate of the now-jailed producer in a hotel lobby, Page Six reports.
The woman suggested Gripp meet her ‘big producer’ friend in one of the hotel rooms, the filing says.
Gripp says she drank half a glass then ‘briefly blacked out’. When she came round, she says Weinstein was rubbing up against her as she was pinned to a coffee table.
Hayley Gripp now works as a certified advocate for children of trauma and special needs
‘Upon entering the suite, according to the lawsuit, the producer introduced himself as ‘Dom.’ The associate handed her a glass of wine. When Gripp said she was not 21, the associate told her, ‘It’s rude not to accept a drink from someone who feeds you and shows you hospitality’, it reports.
Gripp drank half a glass then ‘briefly blacked out’. When she came round, she says Weinstein was rubbing up against her as she was pinned to a coffee table.
‘You are so wet and tight; you are a virgin aren’t you?’ Weinstein allegedly said, adding that she should ‘pretend I’m someone like Zac Efron.’
‘Ms. Gripp did not realize Weinstein’s fingers were inside her vagina until she felt the cold metal of his watch against her skin,’ according to the papers.’
‘Weinstein then held Ms. Gripp down with one hand, took Ms. Gripp’s genital fluids, and rubbed it on his exposed genitalia, proceeding to masturbate with his other hand.’
‘To escape his hold, Ms. Gripp began flailing her arms and, in doing so, broke her acrylic nail against the coffee table,’ according to court papers. ‘Ms. Gripp then stabbed Weinstein on the bottom part of his scrotum with her sharp broken nail.’
‘Weinstein let out a quiet scream and grabbed her hand, inadvertently causing her nail to move up and inward, deeper into his scrotum,’ the suit reads.
Gripp fled the room, but Weinstein’s female associate was outside. She told Gripp the encounter was her own fault and that Gripp – who had Tourette’s syndrome – would ‘end up in a mental hospital’ if she told anyone what had happened.
Gripp never did complain, even during Weinstein’s trial, and is not a recipient of the $17 million settlement shared among dozens of his more than 100 accusers. She also did not report the alleged crime to police at the time.
Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year-sentence after he was convicted last year of raping an actress and sexually assaulting a former production assistant. Accusations first arose in 2017 dating back to 1970
‘Ms. Gripp did not report this crime to police for the same reason that nearly 80 percent of rapes and sexual assaults go unreported,’ Christa Riggins, a second attorney for Gripp, told The Post.
‘At this time, Ms. Gripp does not intend to file criminal charges because Harvey Weinstein has received what amounts to a lifetime sentence and is unable to abuse another woman. However, Hayley will fully cooperate with the Los Angeles Police Department or any other agency regarding an investigation or prosecution against Harvey Weinstein.’
Gripp, who is now demanding a jury trial and seeks unspecified damages, was subsequently diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, says her lawyer, Eric Lerner.
‘This lawsuit is about Ms. Gripp reclaiming her power, becoming a survivor, not a victim, and getting restitution for the sexual crimes perpetrated against her’.he told The Post.
Accuser Lauren Marie Young told the jury Weinstein’s genitals looked ‘like it had been cut and sewn back on and he has no testicles.’
‘She has real damages from this that are lasting. Harvey Weinstein along with those who helped him perpetrate these crimes of sexual assault and attempted rape against Ms. Gripp must be held responsible for ruining her life.’
The Post says it has seen the results of a polygraph Gripp sat for – and passed – in New York City in March, before the suit was filed.
‘Mr. Weinstein categorically denies the allegations made against him in the complaint that has come out of the woodwork, and intends to vigorously defend against the lawsuit,’ Imran H. Ansari, an attorney for the ex-producer, told The Post.
Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year-sentence after he was convicted last year of raping an actress and sexually assaulting a former production assistant. Accusations first arose in 2017 dating back to 1970.
During his trial in February 2020, accuser Lauren Marie Young told the jury Weinstein’s genitals looked ‘like it had been cut and sewn back on and he has no testicles.’
Imran H. Ansari, an attorney for the ex-producer, said Weinstein (above on his way to court) would ‘vigorously defend’ the accusation