DOVER, Del. -- Attorneys for the company co-founded by film mogul Harvey Weinstein told a judge Thursday they want to depose him in a lawsuit he filed seeking his employment file and emails.

Weinstein says he needs the records from The Weinstein Co. Holdings to defend himself in potential civil and criminal cases, and to help the company respond to a civil rights investigation by New York's attorney general.

An attorney for company told a Delaware judge that Weinstein needs to be deposed to determine his true purpose in demanding the documents, which she suggested is purely personal and thus not allowed under Delaware corporation law.

The judge said Weinstein could be deposed, even though his attorney said a deposition would be "tricky" and "fraught with problems," given ongoing criminal investigations into multiple allegations of rape and sexual assault against him. The attorney said Weinstein's ability to testify would be limited without waiving his Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination.

The judge said he would hold a January hearing to decide whether Weinstein's demand for corporate records should be granted.