The lawsuit alleges the defendants conspired to defraud, smear and marginalize McGowan as she was preparing to name Weinstein as a sexual predator.

The suit names as defendants Weinstein, his attorneys David Boies and Lisa Bloom and their law firms, and Black Cube, an Israeli intelligence firm hired by Weinstein.

"Harvey Weinstein was able to perpetrate and cover up decades of violence and control over women because he had a sophisticated team working on his behalf to systematically silence and discredit his victims," McGowan said in a statement. "My life was upended by their actions, and I refuse to be intimidated any longer."

The lawsuit alleges that the defendants used spies posing as women's rights advocates and journalists to obtain a copy of the memoir, illegally recorded her conversations, and smeared her to those in the entertainment industry who were working on projects with her.

Weinstein's attorney Phyllis Kupferstein said McGowan is "a publicity seeker looking for money" and her suit is meritless.

"From the moment she sought a $6 million dollar payout in return for not making these baseless allegations, which we rejected at the time, we knew that she was waiting for an opportune time such as this to begin her suit," Kupferstein said.

Hers is one of several lawsuits, along with criminal charges, against Weinstein stemming from sexual misconduct allegations, including a defamation suit from actress Ashley Judd.

Australian Associated Press