Harvey Weinstein and Ashley Judd had a sex 'deal', lawyer says

Harvey Weinstein claims to have had a sex deal with Ashley Judd. Photos / AP

Harvey Weinstein has argued for a defamation suit brought by Ashley Judd to be dismissed on the grounds the two had a sex "bargain".

During a court appearance in Los Angeles on Wednesday, the disgraced producer's lawyers disputed claims made by Judd that Weinstein sabotaged her career and prevented her from getting a role in Lord Of The Rings, USA Today reports.

Weinstein's legal team referred to comments made by Judd in an October 2017 interview with Diane Sawyer that she had agreed he could touch her if she won an Oscar.

In her lawsuit, Judd has argued it had been a "mock bargain" made in order to leave a hotel room where Weinstein had asked her for a massage in 1996.

Weinstein's lawyers argued that the producer then tried to deliver on the agreement, trying to get her cast as the female lead in Good Will Hunting.

But Judd's lawyer slammed Weinstein's claims, labelling them a "baseless" and "offensive" attempt to escape retribution for his "despicable actions".

Judd was one of the first celebrities to come forward with allegations against Weinstein last year.

In May, Judd filed a defamation and sexual harassment lawsuit against Weinstein, telling The New York Times she plans to donate proceeds from the legal action to the Time's Up movement.