German actress Emma Loman sues Harvey Weinstein for alleged rape

A German actress has filed a lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein alleging he raped her at the Cannes Film Festival.

Emma Loman - understood to be pseudonym - said in a complaint on Monday that Weinstein invited her to Cannes to discuss her career in 2006.

She says she was constantly called by his assistant, up to 30 times a day, until she accepted his invitation.

Mr Weinstein's lawyer said the claims were "untrue", adding they were seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed.

"This lawsuit is an attempt to continue the legal barrage and public attention on Mr. Weinstein," Phyllis Kupferstein said in a statement.

"The allegations are untrue and the claims are barred by the statute of limitations. We intend to immediately move to dismiss the complaint."

• How the Harvey Weinstein scandal unfolded

• Where the Weinstein case goes from here

In the lawsuit, Ms Loman says when she first met Weinstein for meetings she found him to be professional.

But, it continues, when she was asked to meet him in his hotel suite for a meeting about what was presumed to be upcoming film roles, the professionalism changed.

"Upon arriving at Weinstein's suite... Weinstein quickly dropped his professional demeanor. He instead overpowered Loman and raped her," it states.

The lawsuit also stated that Weinstein said he could ruin her career if she came forward about what had happened.

"Fearful both that no one would believe her and the potential retaliation from such a powerful figure, Loman stayed silent," the lawsuit says.

"It was only upon the late 2017 revelation of the scope of Weinstein's wrongful actions... that Loman felt safe coming forward to seek redress for Weinstein's rape of her."

Ms Loman is suing Weinstein for assault, violation of human trafficking laws, battery and false imprisonment.

More than 70 women have made allegations against Mr Weinstein including rape and sexual assault.

Mr Weinstein was charged with rape in May, but his lawyer said he would plead not guilty to the accusations.

The 66-year-old is currently out on bail and has pleaded not guilty to six counts allegedly committed against three women in 2004, 2006 and 2013.

He will next appear in court for a hearing on 20 September.