Director James Toback accused of sexual harassment

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (FOX 11/CNS) - Following allegations of years of sexual assaults by producer Harvey Weinstein, nearly 40 women have emerged to report years of perverted and creepy behavior by Hollywood director James Toback, it was reported Monday.

The Los Angeles Times reported that it spoke to 38 women about the allegations, with 31 speaking on the record.

Toback's pattern involved prowling the streets of Manhattan looking for attractive young women, usually in their early 20s, sometimes college students, on occasion a high schooler, The Times reported. He approached them in Central Park, standing in line at a bank or drug store or at a copy center while they worked on their resumes.

His opening line had a few variations, according to The Times. One went: ``My name's James Toback. I'm a movie director. Have you ever seen 'Black and White' or 'Two Girls and a Guy'?''

He'd tell women he could make them a star, then, in a hotel room or a public park, meetings framed as interviews or auditions quickly turned sexual, the 38 women told The Times in separate interviews. Then, he'd rub himself against them or masturbate in front of them, ejaculating into his pants or onto their bodies, then walk away, The Times reported.

As is often the case, none of the women contacted the police at the time. When contacted by The Times, Toback denied the allegations, saying that he had never met any of these women or, if he did, it ``was for five minutes'' and he doesn't remember the encounters. He also repeatedly claimed that for the last 22 years, it had been ``biologically impossible'' for him to engage in the behavior described by the women interviewed by The Times, saying he had diabetes and a heart condition that required medication.