Nearly 40 women filed a lawsuit in New York against writer and director James Toback, accusing him of sexual assault, the Associated Press reports.

The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan state Supreme Court, comes after New York state last month set a one-year deadline for filing lawsuits over sexual assault allegations, even if they occurred decades ago. , refusing to prescribe facts.

Allegations that Toback had been sexually assaulted years earlier surfaced in late 2017, first reported by the Los Angeles Times as the MeToo movement gained attention.

In 2018, Los Angeles prosecutors said the statute of limitations had run out in five cases they were handling and declined to pursue criminal charges against Toback.

Attorneys or representatives were not available for Toback, who denies the allegations against him.

Fifteen women are named as plaintiffs in the New York lawsuit, and another 23 are named as Jane Dooz. In addition to Tobeck, the Harvard Club in New York, where some women say they were abused, is also named as a defendant.

Writer and director James Toback, born November 1944, was nominated for an Oscar for Bugsy (1991), starring Warren Beatty and Annette Bening. He also directed films such as Black and White and Pickup Truck.

His career in Hollywood spans over 40 years.

(Source: news.ro)