Like Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence weighed in on Harvey Weinstein using her name in a petition to toss out a class-action lawsuit filed against him over his accused misconduct.
“Harvey Weinstein and his company are continuing to do what they have always done, which is to take things out of context and use them for their own benefit,” the 27-year-old actress said in a statement to TheWrap. “This is what predators do, and it must stop.”
“For the record, while I was not victimized personally by Harvey Weinstein, I stand behind the women who have survived his terrible abuse and I applaud them in using all means necessary to bring him to justice whether through criminal or civil actions,” Lawrence added. “Time’s up.”
In a Wednesday response to a class action lawsuit filed over his accused misconduct, Weinstein invoked previous statements from Streep that he had been “respectful” to her when they worked together. Streep did not appreciate his associating that remark in relation to the rape, assault and harassment he stands accused of by over 80 women.
“Harvey Weinstein’s attorneys’ use of my (true) statement — that he was not sexually transgressive or physically abusive in our business relationship — as evidence that he was not abusive with many OTHER women is pathetic and exploitive,” the actress said through a spokesperson.
The response also cited previous comments from Lawrence, who told Oprah the disgraced mogul had been “nothing but nice to her” since they had met.
Weinstein also challenged the account given by Gwyneth Paltrow that he attempted to assault her in a Beverly Hills hotel room. Paltrow has not commented on the petition yet.
Weinstein has routinely denied any occasion of nonconsensual sex. He and his legal team are asking the suit be dismissed.