Ashley Judd's lawyers have spoken with director Peter Jackson, and believe he could be a "powerful witness" in her defamation trial against Harvey Weinstein.
The Double Jeopardy actress and leading #MeToo figure took legal action against the producer in April (18), accusing him of blacklisting her and sabotaging her career after she refused his sexual advances.
In her defamation lawsuit, she referred to comments made by The Lord of the Rings director in an interview in 2017, when he confessed to dropping Judd from casting consideration for his 2001 blockbuster after Weinstein discouraged him, allegedly saying she was difficult to work with.
Weinstein's team are seeking a dismissal of the lawsuit, saying neither Judd or Jackson have any evidence to support their accusations, but in a Los Angeles court on Tuesday (18Sep18), Judd's lawyer Theodore Boutrous said they had spoken with Jackson, who could provide "powerful" testimony.
According to Reuters, Boutrous said in court that his legal team had determined the director had been correctly quoted in the interview with Stuff.co.nz, and it was Weinstein himself who made the disparaging remarks to him about the Kiss the Girls star.
After the hearing, Boutrous told reporters Jackson had information that could be critical to supporting Judd's claim, and added, "We believe he will be a powerful witness and I'll match him up against Harvey Weinstein any day of the week."
Weinstein's attorney Phyllis Kupferstein asked U.S. District Judge Philip Gutierrez to dismiss the legal action, stating that calling someone a "nightmare" to work with did not reflect on their professional abilities.
"I do not believe there are enough facts at this time for her to pursue the defamation allegation against Mr. Weinstein," she said.
The judge has yet to rule on the dismissal request.
Judd was one of the first women to come forward with sexual misconduct allegations against the producer in late 2017. The Miramax co-founder has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.
