Harvey Weinstein reaches tentative $US25m settlement

The New York Times says Harvey Weinstein and his film studio have done a tentative $US25 million deal with dozens of women who accuse him of sexual misconduct.

Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein arrives at Manhattan Supreme Court for a new bail hearing.

Harvey Weinstein. Source: AFP

Harvey Weinstein and his bankrupt film studio have reached a tentative $US25 million ($A36.7 million) settlement with dozens of women who accused him of sexual misconduct, The New York Times says, citing lawyers involved.

The accord would end nearly all civil lawsuits by actresses and former Weinstein employees who accused the former Hollywood producer of offences ranging from sexual harassment to rape, the newspaper said.

Insurers for the former Weinstein Co studio would fund the payout, and Weinstein would not be required to admit wrongdoing or to pay anything, the newspaper said.
Representatives for Weinstein declined to comment.

Weinstein has been accused of sexual misconduct dating back decades by more than 70 women.

He has denied the allegations, saying any sexual encounters were consensual.

According to the Times, accusers involved in the tentative accord would make their claims in bankruptcy court, and the $US25 million payout would be part of a $US47 million settlement to close out the studio's obligations.
Harvey Weinstein leaves New York City Criminal Court after a bail hearing.
Harvey Weinstein leaves New York City Criminal Court after a bail hearing. Source: Getty Images North America
The litigation is separate from criminal charges that Weinstein faces in New York, where prosecutors have accused him of sexually assaulting two women, one in 2006 and another in 2013.

A trial is scheduled for 6 January 2020, and Weinstein could face life in prison if convicted on the top counts.

Weinstein, 67, used a walker to enter the courthouse for a bail hearing on Wednesday and is scheduled to have back surgery on Thursday.

Through his namesake studio and his original Miramax studio, Weinstein became one of Hollywood's most powerful executives, powering a string of films to Oscar gold, including Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love and The King's Speech.

The accusations that surfaced against him in October 2017 helped spark the #MeToo movement, where hundreds of women have accused powerful men in entertainment, business, media, politics and other fields of sexual misconduct.

The reported settlement drew criticism from Doug Wigdor and Kevin Mintzer, lawyers for two of Weinstein's accusers.

In a joint statement, they said the accord would pay too much to lawyers and too little to victims and might excuse the studio's insurers and board from liability to victims who choose not to participate.

"While we don't begrudge victims who want to settle, we plan to vigorously object to any provision that tries to bind victims who want to proceed with holding Harvey Weinstein accountable for his actions," they said.


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Published 12 December 2019 9:26am
Updated 12 December 2019 10:43am


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