Harvey Weinstein and his legal team have reached a $44 million settlement in regards to the civil lawsuits over his alleged sexual misconduct, and claims against his company and associates. In October 2017, numerous women came forward with their stories, accusing Weinstein of sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape, resulting in Weinstein’s arrest and eventual firing from his own company, the Weinstein Company.
A huge driving factor in the take down of the Hollywood film producer was actress, and victim, Rose McGowan, who actively spoke out about her personal experience with Weinstein. Actresses Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mira Sorvino, and Ashley Judd also shared their experiences of abuse at the hands of Weinstein. Soon after, Charmed co-star Alyssa Milano spoke out about her experiences as well, popularizing the term #MeToo, which would become a movement for victims of sexual abuse, and a vehicle in which they could share their stories in an otherwise non-receptive environment. On March 25, 2018, The New York Attorney General’s office charged and arrested Weinstein for his alleged crimes against two of the alleged victims, despite over 80 women coming out with accusations against him. The Attorney General said that the charges also included “employee-victim accounts of sexual harassment, intimidation and other misconduct.” Weinstein was later released after his $1 million bail was posted on his behalf. His trial is set to begin on Sept. 9.
Weinstein’s attorneys told Delaware bankruptcy Judge Mary Walrath on Thursday that they had put together a deal that will be paid, not by Weinstein, but by insurance policies. CNN reports that $30 million will go to the alleged victims and former employees of the Weinstein Co., while the remaining $14 million will compensate Weinstein associates who are named as defendants in the lawsuit. Adam Harris, an attorney representing Bob Weinstein, Harvey’s brother and co-founder of Weinstein Company, gave the following statement regarding the settlement, “We now have an economic agreement in principle that’s supported by the plaintiffs, the [New York Attorney General’s office], the defendants and all the insurers, that if approved will provide significant compensation to victims, creditors of the estate, and allow the parties to avoid years of costly, time consuming, and, you know, uncertain litigation on all sides.”
On June 4, Judge Walrath will either approve or deny this settlement. In the meantime, the Weinstein Co., now owned by Dallas-based private equity firm Lantern Capital, is trying to pick up the pieces. The newly owned company requested the Delaware court to convert the company’s current chapter 11 bankruptcy filing to a chapter 7, so they would be able to liquidate their assets and resolve the civil litigation. A decision has yet to be made. Weinstein has never admitted to any of the accusations, claiming that any sexual contact with the alleged victims was “consensual.” He has since decided to keep out of the public eye, and has kept his silence on the matter.
After years of allegedly committing, and covering up, heinous sex crimes against countless women, Harvey Weinstein is finally seeing consequences for his actions. With the sale of his company, his expulsion from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and now these charges, a noticeable shift in how society views such cases has taken place. Even the people closest to Weinstein have decided to step away from him. Sometime after the initial accusations came out in 2017, Georgina Chapman, wife and mother to two of Weinstein’s children, left her husband in the wake of the allegations surrounding him.
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Source: CNN
