Harvey Weinstein is suing his brother

His lawyer, Imran Ansari, said in a statement: "Harvey Weinstein was deceived by those closest to him and secured a $45m (£35.8m) dollar loan under the pretence of saving The Weinstein Company.

"While Harvey personally guaranteed the loan, others within The Weinstein Company enriched themselves and strategically undermined him, leaving him 'holding the bag' of debt while 'lining their pockets' when the company was in crisis."

The complaint is a bid to reassign blame for the collapse of the firm, after it filed for bankruptcy amid Harrvey's sexual misconduct scandal, with him arguing that Bob, 70, and others were responsible for a "financial betrayal" that weakened the company and ultimately left it insolvent.

It was in a response to a long-dormant breach of contract lawsuit dating to November 2017 that was filed by Len Blavatnik's AI International Holdings and accused the incarcerated movie mogul of failing to abide by a personal guarantee to repay the loan, a case that was put on hold when The Weinstein Company filed for bankruptcy in 2018.

In March 2023, AI International Holdings agreed to dismiss the case as Harvey's jail term meant they would be unlikely to collect on any judgement, but after signing the stipulation of dismissal, the former Miramax chief's lawyers backtracked and asked to keep the case open in order to pursue a separate suit against ex ecutives at the Weinstein Company.

Bob was subpoenaed in November 2024 but his lawyer, Brian Kohn, filed a motion to have it quashed in January, arguing Harvey was using the process to harass his brother and "longtime nemesis" in pursuit of meritless claims.

He also argued that Harvey deliberately turned down an opportunity to walk away from the $45 million debt just so he could sue his brother, and is seeking sanctions against him and his lawyer.

But Harvey's attorned insisted the subpoena was part of a legitimate fact-finding effort.

The producer - who is currently serving a 16-year sentence after being convicted on rape and sexual assault charges in Los Angeles in 2022 and awaiting a retrial after his 2020 convictions in New York for first-degree criminal sexual assault and third-degree rape were overturned - is in ill health as a result of various conditions, including bone marrow cancer, diabetes and coronary artery disease.