Eye: Lawsuit Filed Against Photographer Bruce Weber In New York Supreme Court For Sexual Harassment

Source: Getty Image: Frederick M. Brown / Stringer

Ex-model Jason Boyce, who has appeared in Lexus and Amazon ads, filed suit against Bruce Weber in the New York Supreme Court alleging the iconic fashion photographer sexually harassed the male model in December of 2014. The suit was filed on behalf of Boyce by civil rights attorney Lisa Bloom, well-known for representing accusers in high profile cases involving accusers of Bill O’Reilly, Bill Cosby and John Coyers. Bloom has also been widely criticized for her controversial representation of Harvey Weinstein until dropping him as a client in October. With the publicizing of Boyce’s suit, 31-year-old Mark Ricketson has alleged a similar history with Weber, saying he too was a victim of Weber's sexual harassment in 2005. Prosecution is not possible in Ricketson’s case, as the statue of limitations has expired. 

Fashion photographer Bruce Weber.

Models.com writes:

In the suit, as reported first by the NY Post on December 1st, Boyce, then 28, alleges Weber, then 68, sexually harassed him during a test shoot: He had Boyce remove his underwear after taking photographs of him. Weber claimed he was “tense” which led to him instructing, “Mr. Boyce to put his hands on himself, ‘wherever you feel your energy go,’” NY Post wrote, citing court papers. “Mr. Weber grabbed Mr. Boyce’s arm, and moved it back and forth, so that Mr. Boyce was forced to rub his own genitals,” the article continued. After which the photographer is alleged to put his own fingers in the model’s mouth, move Boyce’s hand to his own groin and allegedly ask, “How ambitious are you?” The suit claims that no response from Boyce prompted Weber to conclude the episode, but not before, “Weber allegedly grabbed him and kissed him on the lips,” NY Post wrote, again citing the filing. The original article reported Boyce texting his agent at the time, Jason Kanner of Soul Artist Management, and mentioned the interaction being quote “weird”. Reportedly, the suit additionally claims, “Upon information and belief, Mr. Weber has engaged in similar conduct with other male models referred to him by Mr. Kanner and Soul Artist, and Mr. Kanner and Soul Artist are aware of such conduct.” Defendants in the case are Bruce Weber and his Little Bear Inc., Jason Kanner and Soul Artist Management.

Boyce agrees that he obeyed Weber's instructions, remembering his agent's instuctions that because of Weber's influence in the industry, Boyce had to "nail this". As is the custom in the industry if a model will be asked to pose nude, no such notice was given to Boyce, stipulates the court documents. 

Ricketson alleges that Weber told the model he looked “tense” and {Weber} “pressed his thumb on my forehead, in his own session with Weber.  Standing at a press conference with Jason Boyce and Lisa Bloom, Ricketson continued: “He told me to find the energy by guiding my hand in one of three places: my forehead, my chest, or my stomach. Each time the energy in my stomach would get lower and lower until I had to navigate the remaining space before having to touch myself. I felt ashamed and embarrassed.”

Bloom advised the press that many other models have reached out to her with similar statements about Bruce Weber, saying, “The modeling industry is long overdue for accountability in its exploitation of models who too often are at the mercy of powerful agents, agencies and photographers. In the course of investigating this case I have spoken to many who are terrified to speak out about abusive behavior or even sexual assault because they believe their careers would be ruined if they did. Others have told me that they left the business entirely because of the high level of exploitation of models. Some have said they thought that being groped or harassed was just part of the business, but it is not.” Bloom concluded by asking other individuals impacted by sexual harassment or sexual assault to reach out to her.

The court papers document Bloom's press conference statements, stating: "Mr. Boyce felt intense dread at the thought of a modeling career in an industry where Mr. Weber was considered by many to be a top photographer and primary champion of male models . . . He was worried that he would continue to run into Mr. Weber throughout his career. He experienced anxiety, depression, and high levels of stress."

Weber, who is married to collaborator Nan Bush, has been unavailable to respond to the allegations. 

Tuesday night's Vanity Fair and car brand Genesis party honoring Bruce Weber at Art Basel in Miami was cancelled. The party was set to celebrate Weber's forthcoming tome, 'All-American Volume XVII'.

Weber, whose career spans five decades, has photographed countless high-profile Hollywood stars for 'Vanity Fair'. In 2013, he was honored with a 40-page portfolio spread that included images of Emma Stone, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Ben Affleck and more.