Harvey Weinstein sues Weinstein Company

Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has taken legal action against the Weinstein Company as he wants access to his personnel file and his email account.

He wants access to his records to build his legal defence in the light of recent sexual harassment allegations made against him.

The producer, who has been accused of sexual harassment and rape by a number of women, is demanding access to his emails and personnel file from his time at the company he co-founded, reports variety.com.

Weinstein filed a lawsuit against the company in Delaware, claiming the company has denied his attorney's request for the documents.

"Mr Weinstein believes that his email account which is the primary, if not only, account he used during the term of his employment by the company will contain information exonerating him, and therefore the company, from claims that may be asserted against him or the company," read the filing by Patricia Glaser and a team at Glaser Weil as well as Delaware's Morris James LLP firm for Weinstein.

Weinstein's access to his email id and other material was blocked when he was terminated by the company three days after The New York Times came out with the report on Weinstein's sexual harassment episodes on October 5. 

Since that time, around 60 women have come forward to claim Weinstein either sexually harassed or sexually assaulted them.

Weinstein also wants access to his personnel file because he believes some of it has been leaked to the media. 

Having that information would allow him to "pursue potential claims against the Company and its Representatives or officers for mismanagement by leaking confidential Company information," the lawsuit states.

In a letter attached to the complaint, Glaser also accuses the board of "a knee-jerk pursuit of a fire sale of the company, all before completing a thorough investigation to discern exactly what did or did not occur".