Ashley Judd has sued Harvey Weinstein, claiming he derailed her career after she rejected his sexual advances.

Judd's lawsuit, filed on Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court, relates to her failing to get a role in The Lord Of The Rings movies, and is backed by testimony from director Peter Jackson, the New York Times reports.

Jackson previously came forward to say that he had wanted to cast Judd in a prominent role for the films, but removed her from the cast list 'as a direct result' of of 'false information' from Weinstein.

Judd said in a statement that any financial proceeds from the suit will be donated to the Time's Up Legal Defense Fund.

She was one of the first women in Hollywood to accuse the disgraced movie producer of harassment and is one of the leading figures in the #MeToo movement.

Actress Ashley Judd (left) has sued Harvey Weinstein (right), claiming he derailed her career after she rejected his sexual advances

Judd first spoke out in October, saying that Weinstein had sexually harassed her during the filming of the 1997 film Kiss the Girls.

She claimed he invited her to his hotel room at Peninsula Beverly Hills, greeted her in a bathrobe and asked if he could give her a massage before inviting her to watch him shower.

Judd recalled that she said no multiple times and tried to get out of the room 'fast as possible'.

Jackson said in December that when he was casting for The Lord Of The Rings a year later, he was interested in Judd and Mira Sorvino, who has also accused Weinstein of harassment.

'I recall Miramax telling us they were a nightmare to work with and we should avoid them at all costs. This was probably in 1998,' Jackson told New Zealand publication Stuff.

Judd is seen with Weinstein at a 1997 Oscars party. Her new lawsuit claims that Weinstein spread rumors to derail her career after she rejected his sexual advances

'My experience, when Miramax controlled the Lord of the Rings (before New Line took over production of the film), was of Weinstein and his brother behaving like second-rate Mafia bullies. They weren't the type of guys I wanted to work with - so I haven't,' he said.

On Monday, Judd said in an interview with ABC that hearing Jackson's explanation of why she'd been axed from the film made her feel 'very sad'.

'It's very upsetting, you know,' she said. 'It was a special time to be invited into their offices. ... Then all of a sudden, mysteriously, we never heard back,' she said.

A spokesman for Weinstein could not be immediately reached for comment, but he has previously denied that he tried to derail Judd's career.

His representatives have also previously said that 'Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.'

The lawsuit is the latest legal trouble for Weinstein, who has been accused of various forms of sexual misconduct by over 80 women.