Harvey Weinstein resigns from Weinstein Co board

[October 18, 2017]   By Lisa Richwine

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Harvey Weinstein has resigned from the board of The Weinstein Company, it said on Tuesday, as he faces allegations that he sexually harassed or assaulted a number of women over three decades in the film business.

In a statement, the board said it also ratified its Oct. 8 decision to fire Weinstein as chief executive of the award-winning movie and television company he co-founded with his brother.

A source close to Weinstein confirmed that he had resigned from the board and had no further comment. Weinstein has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone.

Also on Tuesday, Toyota Motor Corp's <7203.T> Lexus unit said it was evaluating its partnership with the Weinstein Co. Lexus, Toyota's luxury brand, is a sponsor of reality TV show "Project Runway," which Weinstein Co produces.

"Lexus does not condone any acts of sexual harassment, assault or discrimination. In light of recent allegations involving Harvey Weinstein, we are currently evaluating our partnership with The Weinstein Company, but have nothing to announce at this time," Lexus said in a statement.

A&E Television Networks, which airs "Project Runway" on its Lifetime cable channel, is also exploring its options for the show, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.

Weinstein's executive producer credit and the Weinstein Co logo were removed from "Project Runway" last week.

A&E wants to be respectful of women who say they were harmed by Weinstein, the source said, and also is concerned about the livelihood of more than 200 cast and crew members who work on the series.

Weinstein Co is trying to chart a future without Weinstein, the aggressive dealmaker with a knack for managing Hollywood talent, money and egos. On Monday, it said it was in talks to sell the bulk of its assets to private equity firm Colony Capital.

One of Hollywood's most influential forces since launching in October 2005, Weinstein Co has produced and distributed films including "The King's Speech" and "Silver Linings Playbook." Its television unit produces the long-running reality series "Project Runway."

Harvey Weinstein is credited with conceiving the strategy that scored dozens of Oscar awards for the company's films.

Hollywood trade publication Variety on Tuesday reported a separate harassment allegation against Bob Weinstein, Harvey's younger brother and co-founder of Weinstein Co.

Bert Fields, an attorney for Bob Weinstein, said in a statement that the story was "false and misleading."

"There is no way in the world that Bob Weinstein is guilty of sexual harassment," Fields said in the statement.

(Additional reporting by Sheila Dang; Editing by Jonathan Oatis, Richard Chang and Jacqueline Wong)

[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.