LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Attorneys for one of more than a dozen women who've accused Hollywood producer Eric Weinberg of sexual assault and abuse say they want to protect the privacy of other women making similar claims by denying their personal information to the defendant's attorney, who has sought it as part of the defense strategy.
"These third-party victims have clear privacy rights that must be protected," according to court papers filed Thursday with Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Stern by lawyers for the plaintiff, identified in her lawsuit only as O.P.
"Forcing plaintiff to identify other victims and disclose what those victims may have confided to her about their sexual assault has no probative value and would only serve to harass plaintiff," the papers added.
As Weinberg's alleged assaults of other women became more public, some of those women connected with each other privately and through chat rooms, and they also may have confided confidentially to O.P., according to the plaintiff's attorneys court papers. O.P. does not want to violate another alleged victim's constitutional right to keep her confidential information or records from Weinberg, his attorney, or any other person acting on behalf of the defendant, the plaintiff's lawyers further state in their court papers advocating the issuance of a protective order.
A hearing on the motion is scheduled for March 19.
According to O.P.'s civil suit, she was 22 years old when she met Weinberg at a Starbucks in Studio City in early 2014. He said he was a photographer and offered her a photo shoot, intriguing the plaintiff because she herself was a photo student, the suit states.
Weinberg, now 63, also offered to help O.P. establish connections with someone from the fashion industry, according to the suit, which further states that the two agreed to the photo shoot a few weeks later after exchanging multiple emails.
After talking with O.P. about his wife and children when she arrived at his Los Feliz home, he hurried her into starting the photo session with a camera not as sophisticated at those typically used by professionals, the suit states.
Weinberg allegedly undressed O.P., leaving her fearing for her life, but worried what could happen if she tried to escape and complied as he photographed her outdoors, the suit states. She tried to get dressed when they returned inside, but Weinberg insisted on more photographs of her in a bedroom, the suit states.
After showering at Weinberg's request, he asked her to return later that week and watch movies with him and a female friend, the suit states.
"O.P. put her clothes back on and Weinberg allowed her to leave," the suit states.
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