Harvey Weinstein reaches tentative $25 million settlement with accusers:
NY Times
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[December 12, 2019]
(Reuters) - Harvey Weinstein and the
board of his bankrupt film studio have reached a tentative $25 million
settlement with dozens of women who accused the former Hollywood
producer of sexual misconduct, The New York Times said on
Wednesday, citing lawyers involved in the negotiations.
The accord would end nearly all civil lawsuits by actresses and former
Weinstein employees who accused him of offenses 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.
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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 $25 million payout would
be part of a $47 million settlement to close out the studio's
obligations.
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 Jan. 6, 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.
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![](../images/121219pics/news_e11.jpg)
Film producer Harvey Weinstein exits the courtroom at the New York
Supreme Court in New York, U.S., December 11, 2019. REUTERS/Eduardo
Munoz
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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.
(Reporting by New York Newsroom; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and
Leslie Adler)
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