The New York Times alleges that Hollywood producer, Harvey Weinstein has been harassing women for three decades. He has taken a leave of absence from work and threatened to sue for defamation.
ADVERTISEMENTHollywood film mogul Harvey-Weinstein will take a leave of absence from work following explosive allegations that he’s been the target of string of sexual harassment complaints dating back three decades.
High profile reported victims
Amongst the reported victims, actress and singer Ashley Judd. The producer allegedly asked her to give him a massage or watch him shower when she visited him in his hotel suite.
Very brave of
ashleyjudd</a> to tell her story of harassment by Harvey Weinstein to the NYT. No upside except making the world a better place.</p>— Jake Tapper (jaketapper) October 5, 2017
New York Times
It was the New York Times that broke the story.
Weinstein initially made a statement apologising for his behaviour but has since threatened to sue for defamation, claiming the report was faulty and relied on hearsay.
“My journey now will be to learn about myself and conquer my demons.” Harvey Weinstein has addressed accusations: https://t.co/wJAx4v8tNTpic.twitter.com/pIyKqvnUG3
— IndieWire (@IndieWire) October 6, 2017
The paper claims the 65-year old had reached eight previously undisclosed settlements with women alleging sexual harassment and unwanted physical contact.
LOS ANGELES, Oct 5 (Reuters) – Oscar-winning movie producer
Harvey Weinstein on Thursday threatened to sue the New York
Times after it reported that he had been the target of sexual
harassment complaints.
After an initial statement in which Weinstein apologized for
his behavior, his attorney Charles J. Harder subsequently put
out a statement saying the newspaper’s story was defamatory
because it relied on “mostly hearsay accounts and a faulty
report.â€
The New York Times reported that Weinstein, 65, had reached
eight previously undisclosed settlements with women who made
allegations of sexual harassment and unwanted physical contact.
New York Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha said the
newspaper was confident about its reporting, adding that
Weinstein “was aware and able to respond to specific allegations
in our story before publication.”
The alleged victims included an actress, a model and two
assistants and their allegations spanned almost 30 years, the
newspaper reported.
Reuters has not independently confirmed the New York Times
report. Weinstein has not been charged with any crimes.
“I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the
past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it.
Though I’m trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go,”
Weinstein said in his initial statement to the New York Times
that was also given to Reuters by his lawyers.
“I’ve brought on therapists and I plan to take a leave of
absence from my company and to deal with this issue head on,”
said Weinstein, whose Oscar-winning films include “Shakespeare
in Love” and “Chicago.”
One of the women interviewed by the New York Times was
“Double Jeopardy” actress and singer Ashley Judd.
The report quoted Judd as saying that two decades ago she
had a meeting with Weinstein in his Beverly Hills hotel room
where he asked if he could give her a massage or if she could
watch him shower.
Judd’s representatives did not immediately return requests
from Reuters for comment.
Weinstein and his brother Bob formed independent movie
studio Miramax in 1979. They later sold it and in 2005 set up
The Weinstein Company.
Weinstein, who is married to Marchesa label fashion designer
Georgina Chapman, is the latest U.S. media titan to be accused
of sexual harassment.
The late Fox News chief Roger Ailes was forced out of the
company in July 2016 after being accused of sexual harassment,
which he denied.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant and Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Toni
Reinhold)