Harvey Weinstein Reaches Tentative Settlement
Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein and the board of his now-bankrupt company have reached a tentative $25 million settlement with the dozens of women who have accused him of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment. The deal would not require Weinstein to admit any wrongdoing, nor would Weinstein have to pay any of his own money to the dozens of actresses and female employees who have accused him of serial rape and sexual harassment.
The women who have brought civil suits against him would instead split a pool of money paid by insurance companies representing The Weinstein Company, which filed for bankruptcy in 2018, as a result of the scandal. Eighteen of Weinstein’s accusers would reportedly share $6.2 million, with none of the women receiving more than $500,000. Another $18.5 million would be split between accusers who are part of a class action lawsuit against Weinstein, the New York attorney general’s case, and future claimants.
The deal is far from complete since an official agreement must be drawn up and approved by a judge in federal court in Delaware, which is handling The Weinstein Company bankruptcy proceedings, and a judge in federal court in New York. Several accusers refused to go along with the agreement and could challenge it in court. Rebecca Goldman, Chief Operating Officer of the Time’s Up Foundation, said in a statement “This settlement is more than a math problem – it’s a symptom of a problematic, broken system that privileges powerful abusers at the expense of survivors. While this settlement is flawed, we know it represents the hard work of several survivors of Harvey Weinstein. We hope it brings them, and perhaps others, some small measure of justice and relief that is long overdue.”
Accusers who are not part of the settlement can still bring suits against him, including actress Ashley Judd. In January, a judge dismissed Judd’s sexual harassment claim against Weinstein, but stated she could continue with her defamation case against the disgraced producer. Weinstein is also facing criminal sexual assault charges in New York and is scheduled to go on trial for rape in Manhattan Supreme Court on January 6th. He has been charged with five counts of predatory sexual assault, criminal sex act and rape. He faces life in prison if convicted. Weinstein was accused of forcibly performing oral sex on a woman in 2006 and raping another woman in 2013. A judge recently increased Weinstein’s bail from $1 million to $5 million following allegations he had tampered with his electronic ankle monitor.
The disgraced Hollywood producer, who has been accused of sexual assault and harassment by more than 80 women, complained in an interview that the allegations have made him “a forgotten man.” While recovering from spinal surgery at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, Weinstein said “My work has been forgotten.”
Shortly after the interview was made public, the “Silence Breakers,” including actresses Rose McGowan, Ashley Judd and Rosanna Arquette, posted their response to the official Time’s Up Twitter account. The statement said “Harvey Weinstein is trying to gaslight society again. He says in a new interview he doesn’t want to be forgotten. Well, he won’t be. He will be remembered as a sexual predator and an unrepentant abuser who took everything and deserves nothing. He will be remembered by the collective will of countless women who stood up and said enough. We refuse to let this predator rewrite his legacy of abuse.”
