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NY Post
New York Post
7 Apr 2023


NextImg:Ex-Miramax exec and Weinstein pal allegedly raped model at NYC hotel: suit

An ex-model is suing former Miramax exec and Harvey Weinstein pal Fabrizio Lombardo, claiming he lured her to a fake meeting at a posh New York City hotel and raped her when she was just 19.

Sara Ziff, 40, claims in 2001, when she was a model and aspiring actress, Lombardo – who headed Miramax in Italy and Europe – tricked her into attending a bogus meeting with Weinstein and his brother Bob at The Mercer Hotel and then sexually assaulted her, according to a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit from late Thursday.

Earlier that night, Lombardo invited the New York woman – some 20 years his junior – to a screening of “Black Hawk Down” at the Miramax office in Tribeca, where Weinstein and another young woman were also present, the filing says.

The disgraced movie mogul barely acknowledged Ziff except to invite her to eat some food that was there, the suit claims.

When the movie ended, Lombardo invited Ziff for a drink at SoHo hotel, telling Ziff that Weinstein, the other woman and possibly Bob Weinstein would join them, the court papers claim.

Ziff accepted, thinking it would be a good career opportunity to meet and speak with the powerful movie exec brothers, the suit claims.

The one-time model and aspiring actress Sara Ziff claims she was raped by Fabrizio Lombardo in 2001 at an NYC hotel.
FilmMagic

But Lombardo led Ziff straight to the hotel penthouse, where an uncomfortable Ziff “kept her distance” smoking cigarettes by the window, the court documents allege.

The Italian man, who was around 40 at the time, rubbed her thigh and Ziff pushed his hand away, telling him she had a boyfriend, the filing claims.

“But Mr. Lombardo would not stop,” the suit charges.

pictured are, on the left, Fabrizio Lombardo, and Harvey Weinstein

Lombardo was the former head of Miramax in Italy and Europe and was a close friend of Weinstein’s.
WireImage

He pulled Ziff onto the bed, got on top of her and raped her – without a condom – despite Ziff saying “no” several times, the court papers allege.

Ziff “was so traumatized that she could not speak about the rape for several years afterward,” the filing says.

She attended other meetings with Lombardo afterward 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 claims.

Lombardo invited Ziff on a trip to Rome, which she didn’t take him up on and she would never hear from him again, the filing claims.

The suit – which also names Weinstein as a defendant – claims Lombardo and Weinstein were so close that Weinstein was best man at Lombardo’s 2003 wedding.

“Among the things that bonded them appears to be the abuse of women,” the suit charges.

The Mercer Hotel is pictured from the outside

Ziff says Lombardo lured her to The Mercer Hotel claiming they would be meeting Weinstein and possibly his brother Bob Weinstein but Lombardo instead raped her, her suit alleges.
Luiz C. Ribeiro/NY Post

\When women later came out with sexual assault accusations against Weinstein, some claimed Lombardo helped lure women to Weinstein so he could abuse them, the court papers allege.

And the circumstances of the night of Ziff’s alleged rape “make it apparent that the two men plotted to use the movie screening as a pretext to have sex with their respective targets. This was a practiced operation,” the court documents claim.

Ziff is suing Lombardo, Weinstein, Miramax, and Buena Vista International, and the production companies’ parent company The Walt Disney Company for unspecified damages.

Sara Ziff is pictured

Ziff claims she was so traumatized about the alleged rape that she didn’t tell anyway until years later.
WireImage

Astrid Stawiarz

“Today I took an important step toward seeking accountability and finally moving towards healing,” Ziff said in a statement. “What happened to me at 19 years old was a catalytic moment for my life’s work.”

Ziff – the founder of the model advocacy group Model Alliance – filed her case under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, which allows victims of abuse to file claims during a one-year period even if the claims have since passed outside of the statute of limitations.

“Thanks to the Adult Survivors Act, it is not too late for survivors like Sara Ziff to seek justice,” Ziff’s lawyers Kevin Mintzer and Laura Edidin said in a statement. “We intend to see that she gets it.”

Model Sara Ziff is pictured

Ziff claims Lombardo and Weinstein knew about each other’s behavior and covered up for each other.
Penske Media via Getty Images

WireImage

“To be clear, Sara Ziff is not accusing Harvey Weinstein of rape nor does she allege that there was any sexual misconduct directed at her by Mr. Weinstein,” Weinstein’s lawyer Imran Ansari said. “Her allegations of rape are directed at Fabrizio Lombardo.”

“Certainly Mr. Weinstein had no control over any alleged conduct by Mr. Lombardo, nor would he have any reason to know what Mr. Lombardo was doing nor where Mr. Lombardo was at the time that Ms. Ziff alleges she was raped,” Ansani said. “As such, Mr. Weinstein firmly denies that he has any liability for the alleged conduct of another.”

A working number could not be found for Lombardo. The Walt Disney Company didn’t immediately return a request for comment Friday.