Lawyers at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher have filed a sexual harassment and defamation lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein on behalf of actress Ashley Judd.

The lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court claims Weinstein sabotaged Judd's opportunity to land a role in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy after she refused his advances at a breakfast meeting in the late 1990s. Judd, who was among the first women to publicly speak out about Weinstein's behavior last year to The New York Times, notes that since the Weinstein story broke, “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson said Weinstein discouraged him from casting Judd.

According to the complaint, Weinstein told Jackson and his creative partner that Judd was a “nightmare” to work with and should be avoided “at all costs.”

“With those baseless smears, Weinstein succeeded in blacklisting Ms. Judd and destroying her
ability to work on what became a multibillion-dollar franchise with 17 Academy Award wins and many more nominations,” wrote Judd's Gibson Dunn lawyers, including Theodore Boutrous Jr. “Weinstein's wrongful and outrageous conduct has not just deprived Ms. Judd of the
specific opportunity to play a prominent role in a blockbuster film trilogy; it has had a long-lasting ripple effect on the trajectory of her whole career.”

The lawsuit brings claims of defamation, sexual harassment, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage and violation of California's Unfair Competition Law.

“Mr. Weinstein's abusive conduct toward others has caused no end of damage to aspiring actors and others in the film and entertainment industry,” said Judd in a press release announcing the lawsuit. “As my experience and the experience of others shows, even a few false statements from Mr. Weinstein could destroy potentially career-changing professional opportunities.”

Added Boutrous: “Our aim in bringing this suit is to hold Mr. Weinstein accountable for his retaliation against Ms. Judd, defamation of her business reputation, and interference with her career, and to shine a light on the broader economic damages caused when individuals in positions of authority attempt to punish those who have resisted their improper advances.”

Gibson Dunn's Theane Evangelis, Michael Dore and Lauren Blas also represent Judd in the suit. According to Gibson Dunn, Judd and the firm will donate any potential proceeds from the lawsuit to charity.