Hollywood producer Eric Weinberg turns back to talk to defense attorney Robin Sax (right) as he is taken into custody during his arraignment at Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center on October 25, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Robyn Beck – Pool/Getty Images)
Two women accuse Hollywood producer Eric Weinberg of sexually assaulting them in 2019 in new lawsuits filed this week in Los Angeles.
Already in jail on criminal rape charges, Weinberg now faces civil claims in Los Angeles County Superior Court for allegedly sexually assaulting two women in separate incidents that highlight the different methods prosecutors say the Scrubs co-producer uses to victimize women.
One lawsuit accuses Weinberg of forcing a woman to perform oral sex on him in his home in Los Angeles’ Los Feliz neighborhood after meeting her through a dating app in December 2019. The other says Weinberg, whose credits include Californication, Veronica’s Closet and Anger Management, approached a woman in a grocery store parking lot in February 2019 “and introduced himself as the executive producer of Scrubs,” then arranged for her to visit his home for a modeling photo shoot in which he sexually assaulted her.
Both complaints describe a broader pattern of misconduct by Weinberg, who is in jail after Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Victoria B. Wilson on Oct. 25 revoked his $5 million bond on 18 felony sexual assault charges. The alleged crime occurred between 2014 and 2019, but police said in an Oct. 5 press conference that they are investigating other assault allegations from years earlier.
The new lawsuits site years of inaction by authorities, including after Weinberg was arrested in 2014 for allegedly raping a woman after luring her to his home for a photo shoot.
“Even after a second woman reported sexual misconduct during a photo shoot with Weinberg later that same year, the District Attorney’s office still declined to prosecute,” according to the lawsuit. “Since Weinberg’s July 2022 arrest, however, prosecutors say dozens more potential victims have come forward about their encounters with Weinberg.10 At last report, the LAPD had received over 70 tips about Weinberg.”
Identified by her initials C.D., the plaintiff in the lawsuit over the February 2019 encounter “is a neurodivergent young woman who has been diagnosed with ADHD, which makes her less attuned to social cues and particularly vulnerable to a sexual predator like Weinberg,” according to the lawsuit. At the time, Weinberg “presented himself as a safe and respectful Hollywood figure that she could trust.”
“He showed her examples of prior photo shoots on his phone, as well as photos of his wife and three children in an attempt to build credibility,” according to the lawsuit. “Weinberg told C.D. he had done photo shoots for a lot of Disney stars and offered her the opportunity to participate in a photo shoot as well.” He then posed her on his daughter’s bed in her bedroom and other areas of his home while touching her without her consent.
“C.D. again attempted to diffuse the situation without inciting Weinberg’s anger, telling Weinberg that she was asexual and not interested in sex with him or anyone else,” according to the complaint. “But Weinberg continued his assault by forcibly performing oral sex on C.D. and aggressively demanded she perform oral sex on him.”
The other lawsuit says Weinberg met the woman, identified as A.B., at a cocktail bar on Dec. 21, 2019 after they exchanged “numerous text messages, where Weinberg came across as charming, considerate, and respectful of sexual boundaries.” He told her he was “hang out with his kids all afternoon” when he asked to meet her that night. When he invited her from the bar to his home for wine, “Weinberg appeared to be a charming conversationalist, a doting father, and a respectful dating partner, and so A.B. felt comfortable joining Weinberg at his home,” according to the lawsuit.
The home visit got off to a shocking start, according to the lawsuit, when Weinberg “unzipped his pants and exposed his penis,” then asked if he could “jerk off” as she spoke “about her work accomplishments.” The behavior “triggered a trauma response” in A.B. that caused her to attempt “to diffuse the situation without creating a scene.”
“She hoped that avoiding Weinberg’s advances would make her boundaries clear while not provoking an angry, hostile, or violent response,” according to the lawsuit. It worked “temporarily,” as Weinberg “pulled back and returned to acting as a courteous date and gracious host.”
Minutes later, however, he was forcing her to perform oral sex, the lawsuit says.
“While Weinberg forced her to perform oral sex, A.B. noticed that he pulled out his phone and pointed it toward her,” according to the lawsuit. “At the time, A.B. didn’t fully register what was happening, but she now believes Weinberg filmed the encounter without her knowledge or consent.”
Weinberg also forced A.B. to lick his anus after sitting “directly on her face,” according to the lawsuit, then performed oral sex on her before penetrating her vaginally.
“Throughout these few minutes, A.B. remained still, scared for her life. She didn’t want to enrage Weinberg in fear that he would seriously injure or kill her,” the lawsuit says.
C.D. and A.B. are represented by Oakland-based attorneys Micha Star Liberty of Liberty Law and Amanda M. Karl and Steve Lopez of Gibbs Law Group LLP.
Each lawsuit includes seven claims: sexual assault, sexual battery, gender violence, assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence. C.D.’s lawsuit also includes a claim for sexual harassment.
(Image: Photo by Robyn Beck – Pool/Getty Images)