A judge has denied a request by attorneys for more than a dozen women who’ve accused Hollywood producer Eric Weinberg of sexual assault and abuse to stay the case pending a 2024 hearing on a separate motion aimed at protecting the privacy of other women making similar claims.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Stern ruled Tuesday that the plaintiffs’ lawyers had presented an “insufficient showing at this time” to put a hold on the case until the underlying motions for protective orders are heard on various dates in March. The plaintiffs’ attorneys maintain Weinberg’s attorney has made obtaining personal information from the third-party accusers part of the defense strategy.
“These third-party victims have clear privacy rights that must be protected,” according to the plaintiffs’ attorneys’ court papers. “Forcing plaintiff(s) 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(s).”
In their court papers in support of the stay, the plaintiffs’ lawyers maintained that until the judge rules in March on the plaintiffs’ request for a protective order, “no discovery nor discovery motions should proceed” in the case because Weinberg’s attorney is seeking to depose the plaintiffs before then.
The plaintiffs include a woman identified only as O.P. According to her suit, 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 the O.P. She 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.
O.P. says 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.