Los Angeles: Emmy-nominated producer Brett Ratner has filed a defamation case against a woman, who claimed that he raped her more than a decade ago.
The lawsuit comes after a woman named Melanie Kohler, made the allegations against the director in a Facebook post, calling him a “rapist” and saying the assault took place “in Hollywood about 12 years ago,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Ratner has filed a complaint in Hawaii federal court denying the allegations and categorizing the social media post as libel per se.
Eric Seitz, Ratner’s Hawaii counsel, argued that the statements made by Kohler are entirely false, fabricated and fictional and that Kohler published them maliciously.
Ratner is seeking an unspecified amount of general, special and punitive damages, and claims he’s suffered emotional distress, worry, anger and anxiety.
Seitz also shared that his professional, personal reputations have been injured by these allegations.
In light of the allegations being made, Ratner announced that he is stepping away from all Warner Bros.-related activities.
The studio giant announced they would not renew Ratner’s first-look deal, which had since expired.
In addition to Kohler’s allegations, six women, including actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, claimed they were sexually assaulted or harassed by the director-producer. (ANI)