Amazon Says Woody Allen's "Actions And Their Cascading Consequences" Led To The End Of Their Agreement

Woody Allen’s latest film, “A Rainy Day In New York,” has yet to be released by Amazon and likely won’t anytime soon, due to sexual assault allegations resurfacing against the filmmaker. Back in February, Woody Allen made the first move against Amazon, which had him signed up for a multi-film deal worth tens of millions of dollars, with a lawsuit claiming that the tech company was in violation of the contract. Now, months later, Amazon is responding, claiming that Allen’s current actions are responsible for his film not being released.

READ MORE: Woody Allen Files $68 Million Lawsuit Against Amazon For Breach Of Contract Due To “A 25-Year-Old, Baseless Allegation”

The original complaint, brought forth by Allen against Amazon, stated, “Amazon has tried to excuse its action by referencing a 25-year-old, baseless allegation against Mr. Allen, but that allegation was already well known to Amazon (and the public) before Amazon entered into four separate deals with Mr. Allen — and, in any event, it does not provide a basis for Amazon to terminate the contract. There simply was no legitimate ground for Amazon to renege on its promises.”

However, according to the tech company, the allegations aren’t the sole factor behind the dissolution of the contract between Amazon and Allen. The main argument that Amazon is putting forth says that even though the news surrounding Allen’s past was already known, the filmmaker’s more recent comments shed a light on the allegations, with more stories and details coming to light.

You might remember that Allen was vocal about the #MeToo movement in the past, saying, “I should be the poster boy for the #MeToo movement. Because I have worked in movies for 50 years. I’ve worked with hundreds of actresses and not a single one — big ones, famous ones, ones starting out — have ever suggested any kind of impropriety at all. I’ve always had a wonderful record with them.”

This comment, of course, brought a ton of headlines, that brought up the previous allegations, as well as drew more comments from those involved in the situation at the time.

READ MORE: Woody Allen Is Reportedly In Pre-Production For A New Movie In Spain

“Understood in the broader context, Allen’s actions and their cascading consequences ensured that Amazon could never possibly receive the benefit of its four-picture agreement,” Amazon stated in its response (via the LA Times).

Amazon is hoping to have four of the eight claims against them dismissed.