Convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein is suing the U.S. division of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (now part of the Stalantis Empire) for an accident in 2019 that he claims made him “catastrophicly injured and paralyzed.”
The former film producer and convicted rapist is seeking $ 5 million in damages from the company in a lawsuit filed in a New York State court in Manhattan, Reuters reported.
In the lawsuit, he alleged that he tried to slow down to avoid a deer but the 2017 Jeep Wrangler he was driving “failed to slow down despite applying Weinstein’s car braking system which resulted in loss of control of the vehicle and subsequent rollover.”
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The lawsuit alleges that Weinstein was injured in the crash despite wearing his seatbelt. It further claims that the car, which was provided to him by the FCA in exchange for placing the product on film, was not kept “reasonably safe” by the company.
Chrysler’s parent company, Stellantis, meanwhile, told the New York Post that although it did not comment on the pending lawsuit, it “wants to defend it firmly.” [its] Products against this claim. “
The crash, which occurred on August 17, 2019, occurred shortly before the former filmmaker’s well-publicized trial for sexual offenses. Weinstein claims he was taken to a walker during the trial for the accident and consequent back surgery, where he was convicted of sexual assault and rape and sentenced to 23 years in prison. The producer is awaiting trial in Los Angeles on charges of sexual harassment against five other women between 2004 and 2013.
Weinstein’s lawyer, Gary Kavulich, has claimed that the case against the FCA is now being brought forward to be settled without a lawsuit after discussions with the automaker.
