Eric Weinberg Accused of Rape in Two Civil Suits

Two anonymous civil suits have been filed against former Scrubs writer and executive producer Eric Weinberg, accusing him of two separate sexual assaults in 2019 and seeking unspecified general and punitive damages.

The Hollywood Reporter is aware of the identities of the plaintiffs but has agreed to maintain their anonymity.

Weinberg, a steady presence in writers rooms from the mid-1990s to 2016, was arrested in July and pleaded not guilty to 18 charges of sexual assault, including rape. He is currently in custody awaiting trial. In a recent investigation, more than two dozen women spoke with THR alleging a pattern of predatory behavior and misconduct going back as far as 2000, including claims involving minors.

Women described how Weinberg would use photography as a pretense to get closer to them, often listing his Hollywood credits in order to establish credibility and trust. Some say Weinberg would pressure them during shoots into taking off clothing. Multiple women also described Weinberg as engaging in sexual activity without their consent, frequently photographing the acts as they took place.

Weinberg worked as a writer and executive producer on the hit NBC show Scrubs from 2002 to 2006. He held the same position for one season of Showtime’s David Duchovny vehicle Californication, as well as FX’s Anger Management, starring Charlie Sheen. He received five Emmy nominations for his work on Scrubs and Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher.

The first suit, brought by a woman referred to as A.B., alleges that Weinberg “lured” A.B. to his home where he assaulted her in December 2019. The two met on a dating app and exchanged “numerous text messages, where Weinberg came across as charming, considerate and respectful of sexual boundaries,” the suit reads. The two met at a nearby cocktail bar before decamping for Weinberg’s Los Feliz home.

As the two crossed the threshold of Weinberg’s house, Weinberg asked A.B. about her career, the suit reads. But, as she started to answer, “Weinberg shockingly unzipped his pants and exposed his penis to A.B.,” it says. According to the suit, Weinberg then asked if he could “jerk it” as A.B. “talked about her work accomplishments.”

The alleged “sudden change in behavior” triggered a trauma response, the suit reads, a reaction in which “survival reflexes and passivity habits often take over and the victim avoids creating a scene or bruising the sexual offender’s ego in order to ensure survival.”

Plaintiff’s attorney Micha Star Liberty says “it’s important to understand” how these autonomic survival instincts can impact a survivor’s state of mind. “In this case, women made certain decisions that may not appear rational to other people, but are actually the brain functioning in a way to protect them from violence or threats to their life,” she says.

Though Weinberg initially appeared to respect A.B.’s boundaries, according to the suit, he went on to assault A.B., allegedly forcing her to perform sexual acts. The civil suit claims that A.B. believes that Weinberg filmed portions of the encounter without her consent.

The suit contends that A.B. “suffered, and continues to suffer, physical, emotional, and economic injuries” as a result of the alleged assault and seeks general and punitive damages for sexual assault, sexual battery, gender violence, assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence.

The second suit stems from claims made by a woman referred to as C.D., who encountered Weinberg in February 2019 at a grocery store parking lot. Weinberg introduced himself as an executive producer for Scrubs and “offered her the opportunity to participate in a photo shoot” and help with starting a modeling career.

Similar to accounts by other women who have previously spoken with THR, Weinberg showed C.D. examples of his photography and photos of his wife and children. Weinberg told the plaintiff that “he had done photo shoots for a lot of Disney stars” and could be trusted, the suit says. In subsequent text conversations described by the suit, C.D. specified that she was not comfortable with “erotica”-type photos.

C.D., according to the suit, “is a neurodivergent young woman who has been diagnosed with ADHD, which makes her less attuned to social cues and particularly vulnerable to a sexual predator like Weinberg.”

At Weinberg’s home, he allegedly photographed C.D. in his daughter’s bedroom, where “he disregarded his prior assurances” and told C.D. to remove her shirt, the suit says. The suit describes how Weinberg, growing upset at C.D.’s noncompliance with his increasingly sexual instructions, proceeded to assault her.  

“After Weinberg had finished assaulting C.D., he stood between her and the door and demanded assurance that she would not tell the police he had raped her,” according to the suit. “C.D. assured Weinberg she would not and he let her leave.”

The suit seeks general and punitive damages for sexual assault, sexual battery, gender violence, sexual harassment, assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligence.

Lawyers for Weinberg did not respond to a request for comment. In a previous statement, Weinberg’s divorce attorney Karen Silver characterized similar claims as “strategically placed criminal allegations” stemming from an “acrimonious custody dispute.”

“These claims have previously been investigated and reviewed by both law enforcement and the Los Angeles family court and the results have continued to unveil a myriad of evidence, documentation and expert analysis that wholly undermine the narrative now being promulgated,” she said.

The two suits add to Weinberg’s growing legal troubles after a Los Angeles Superior Court judge revoked his $5 million bail and remanded him into custody at an Oct. 25 bail hearing, describing him as a potential “serial rapist” and a danger to society. Weinberg has pleaded not guilty to 18 charges of sexual assault, including rape.

The prosecutor assigned to Weinberg’s case, Deputy District Attorney Marlene Martinez, told the court in October that law enforcement has received a flood of additional tips about Weinberg since his initial arrest in July and is interviewing more alleged victims.

Liberty, who represents others with claims against Weinberg, says that she is exploring additional civil suits. Liberty has also appeared in criminal court as an advocate for some of the Jane Doe accusers as per the California Victims’ Bill of Rights, also known as Marsy’s Law.

“We may not ever know the full extent of the damage that he’s done, but for those women who are ready and brave enough to step forward, they should have access to accountability through the civil justice system and retrieve damages due to them so they can do their best to rebuild their lives,” Liberty says.