Model accuses former Miramax exec and Weinstein 'fixer' of raping her

Model sues former Miramax exec for ‘raping her as a teen’ after luring her to NYC hotel suite on false promise of meeting Harvey Weinstein

• Sara Ziff, 39, has alleged Fabrizio Lombardo attacked her in a hotel penthouse after a film screening in 2001
• She is suing the former head of Miramax Italy, who has been described as a ‘fixer’ for Harvey Weinstein, in New York
• Ziff, who was 19 at the time, is also suing Miramax, Disney and Weinstein, claiming they were ‘fully aware Mr. Lombardo was a danger to women’

A model has alleged one of Harvey Weinstein’s former right-hand men raped her at a New York hotel when she was 19 after luring her to a penthouse suite with the promise of a meeting with the disgraced film mogul.

Sara Ziff, 40, said Fabrizio Lombardo attacked her in 2001 when she was aged 19 after a screening of Black Hawk Down.

Lombardo is the former head of Miramax Italy and has previously been described as a ‘fixer’ for Weinstein who ‘procured’ girls for the producer – claims he’s denied.

The suit was filed on Thursday under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which allows alleged victims of sexual abuse to bring a lawsuit regardless of how much time has passed. 

Ziff is also suing Disney, Miramax and Weinstein in the suit, alleging they knew Lombardo was a ‘danger to women’ but did nothing about it.

Sara Ziff, 40, said Fabrizio Lombardo attacked her in 2001 when she was aged 19 after a screening of Black Hawk Down

Lombardo is the former head of Miramax Italy and has previously been described as a ‘fixer’ for Weinstein who ‘procured’ girls for the producer – claims he’s denied

The suit says Ziff attended the film screening with Lombardo on the advice of her agent, who said it could lead to a meeting with Weinstein and help her career.

But Weinstein ‘barely acknowledged her’ at the screening, the suit said. Ziff alleges that Lombardo invited her to a hotel afterwards with the promise of a meeting with Weinstein and possibly his brother, Bob Weinstein.

‘Ms. Ziff did not know that what awaited her at the hotel was not the promised chance to discuss her acting career with the Weinstein brothers, but a trap set by Mr. Lombardo to get Ms. Ziff alone and rape her,’ according to the lawsuit.

Ziff ‘began to doubt that anyone else would be joining them’ after she arrived at the penthouse with Lombardo. He then began to make ‘unwelcome advances’ that included rubbing her thigh, causing her to push his hand away.

The lawsuit added: ‘Desperate to stop Mr. Lombardo from touching her, but afraid that she might lose professional opportunities if she offended him, Ms. Ziff made clear she was not interested in Mr. Lombardo by saying that she was flattered, but she had a boyfriend.’

Ziff claims Lombardo then forced her onto a bed and raped her.

Fabrizio Lombardo (right), who has denied claims he was a ‘fixer’ who ‘procured’ girls for Harvey Weinstein, is accused of raping a model in a New York City hotel after luring her with the promise of a meeting with the disgraced movie mogul

After the attack, he allegedly said ‘it was fantastic that a girl Ms. Ziff’s age would find a man of his age attractive’.

The suit says that Ziff went onto attend several meeting with Lombardo, Weinstein and fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier in the weeks that followed. 

She attended because she feared that ‘if she did not, Mr. Lombardo would retaliate against her by using his powerful connections in the modeling and acting industries—including with Mr. Weinstein—to deny her work at an early stage in her career,’ the suit said.

‘Mr. Lombardo would never have been able to rape Ms. Ziff if not for his position at Miramax and Disney,’ the suit said.

It continues: ‘In short, Harvey Weinstein—and thus Miramax and Disney—were fully aware Mr. Lombardo was a danger to women whom he encountered at work. Despite this knowledge, they did nothing to properly supervise Mr. Lombardo or prevent him from victimizing more women.

‘As a result, Mr. Lombardo was able to use his position with Miramax and Disney, as well as the offices and resources of those companies, to lure Ms. Ziff, then only a teenager, to a fake meeting where he raped her.’

Lombardo was a close friend of Weinstein at the time of the alleged attack and Weinstein was the best man at Lombardo’s 2003 wedding.

He is described in the suit as a citizen and resident of Italy. 

Weinstein is likely to die in prison after he was jailed for sex attacks against several women. His pattern of offending emerged through the #MeToo movement 2017.

In February, he was handed a 16-year prison sentence for rape and sexual assault. He was already serving a 23-year prison sentence after he was found guilty of more attacks in a previous case. 

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