The former Hollywood movie producer Harvey Weinstein, currently serving prison time after being convicted of rape and criminal sexual act, on Tuesday sued the U.S. business of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) over a 2019 crash in which he flipped a Jeep Wrangler while attempting to prevent a deer.
Weinstein is seeking $5 million in damages, saying the crash that took place on Aug 17, 2019, in Bedford, New York left him “catastrophically injured and rendered paralyzed” with “significant and continuing conscious pain and suffering” from what his lawyer described as “severe spine and back injuries”.
According to the complaint submitted in a New York state court in Manhattan, Weinstein was using his seatbelt when the brakes on the 2017 Wrangler failed as he approached the deer, resulting in a rollover.
Weinstein said the defendant FCA US LLC, now owned by Stellantis, is guilty because they had provided him the “unreasonably dangerous” automobile in exchange for product placement in one of his films.
“We intend to vigorously defend our product against these claims,” Stellantis responded.
Gary Kavulich, a lawyer for Weinstein, disputed press reports suggesting his client was uninjured, saying Weinstein informed officials he was hurt when the accident happened.
“He is in constant pain, it’s debilitating,” Kavulich said.
He noted that negotiation with the automaker to avert a lawsuit “went on for months and months.”
