Actress Eliza Dushku testifies to sexual harassment against her

Albanian-born actress Eliza Dushku testified before a congressional commission Tuesday that “was quietly represented” by the TV channel's series “Bul” CBS, as she detailed her allegations of sexual harassment against colleague Michael Weatherly and then, after complaining, she was fired from work as a serial actress.

The Albanian actress told members of the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee that she was able to <x0th> repeat that silence” while responding to a convention call to testify, writes Deadline, broadcast Paparaci.

The countless other “that are forced by arbitration are not so fortunate”, Dushku said, appearing virtually at the Congress Commission. It has gone public with some of its claims even before.

The commission's hearing was titled “Silent”. As forced arbitration keeps victims of sexual violence and sexual harassment in the shadows. It was held as lawmakers weigh the new legislation to eliminate arbitrage clauses forced in employment, consumers and civil rights cases. The Judiciary Commission has scheduled the vote for the bill Wednesday.

In 2018 it was found that Dushk had been paid $9.5m to resolve claims of sexual harassment in the series “Bul”, made by actor Weatherly.

Although she was limited by a non-discovery deal as part of the contract, she discovered some details of her claims in an article in the “Boston Globe” that year challenging the version given by CBS transmission network, as well as that of Weatherly and screenwriter Glenn Gordon Caron.

Before the commission, Dushku went into detail about her claims of what happened in the shoots of “Bul”. She said that in her first week at work, “found herself in the burden of vicious, sexual and shameful verbal attacks. I've almost suffered constant sexual harassment from my colleague. This was beyond everything I had experienced in my 30-year career”.

She did not refer to Weatherly by name in her opening statement, but noted: “He sniffed at me and looked at me with bad eyes up and down. Outside the scenario, in front of about 100 members of the team and members of the cast, he once said he would take me to his van "exertive" and use lubrication and long fake things on me, take me over his knee and hit me like a little girl”

These were not lines in scenario”, she said. “They were constant and humiliating and directed me in the midst of what was supposed to be a professional workplace”, the Albanian-born actress showed me.

Dushku said that she “feared that if I stepped down or reacted strongly, my work could be jeopardised, or my professional reputation” could be damaged.

After an incident, when she was making a scene in which she introduced a monologue in the courtroom, Dushk said her colleague “reported that he and his friend wanted to make a threesome with me and started making fun of the penis while the camera was still around. Then, as I went to coffee break between the scenes, a random male team member approached me at the food service table and whispered to me: “And I want to make a threesome with you, Eliza”.

She said she faced Weatherlyn and “specifically asked him to be her ally in filming and to reduce some of the sexual comments directed at her, especially after he raised the tone at work place”. She said he replied that “nobody is more respectable to women than he is, since he is the brother of many sisters”.

Dushku said he later learned that after their conversation, Weatherly sent the message to CBS Studio's head that she had a <x0-ediff humor” and that “ai did not want me to be on the show”. Although the executive, whom she previously identified as David Stapf, told Weatherly that she “made the best display”, and that “was fired the next day”.

Dushku said that while looking at her legal options, she discovered that the mandatory arbitrage clause in her contract, expressing itself: “would be used to keep secret what had happened to me and would protect CBS and the author of sexual harassment that had avenged me for trying to stop harassment at my workplace. ”

“I was shocked to learn that I signed my rights at a public forum before I got a job”, Dushku said.

As The New York Times discovered the solution in a December 2018 story, Weatherly responded with a statement to the Times in which he said: “over the course of our recording, I made some jokes by mocking several lines in the scenario. When Eliza told me that she was uncomfortable with my language and my attempts to humor, I was upset that I offended her and immediately apologized. After further reflection on this, I understand better than what I said was not even funny and inappropriate, and I am sorry for the pain I caused Elise”. Dushku later argued that Weatherly broke the terms of the contract.