Almost $19 million has been announced as the compensation for the women sexually harassed and abused by disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.
The disclosure was made by the New York Attorney General’s office in a statement that goes thus:
The settlement stems from a 2018 civil rights lawsuit filed by the New York Attorney General’s office against Weinstein (68), Robert Weinstein, and the Weinstein Companies at large for “egregious violations of New York’s civil rights, human rights, and business laws.”
An $18,875,000 victims’ compensation fund will be created under the plan and it will be distributed among “women who experienced a hostile work environment, sexual harassment, and gender-based discrimination while working at The Weinstein Company, as well as sexual abuse by Harvey Weinstein.”
Part of the agreement is that the victims will be released from confidentiality, non-disclosure, or non-disparagement agreements with The Weinstein Company or any other of the former representatives of the company related to any sexual misconduct by Weinstein. They will now be free to tell their stories without fear or retribution, says the prosecutors.
“This agreement is a win for every woman who has experienced sexual harassment, discrimination, intimidation or retaliation by her employer”, New York Attorney General Letitia James stated.
Reacting to the development, Douglas H. Wigdor and Kevin Mintzer, the attorneys for some of Weinstein’s victims, disagreed with the settlement, considering it unfair as the embattled movie producer does not accept responsibility for his actions.
They said:
The proposed settlement is a complete sellout of the Weinstein survivors and we are surprised that the Attorney General could somehow boast about a proposal that fails on so many different levels.
We are completely astounded that the Attorney General is taking a victory lap for this unfair and inequitable proposal, and on behalf of our clients, we will be vigorously objecting in court.”
Harvey Weinstein is serving a 23-year jail sentence at Wende Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison in Alden, New York following his conviction of rape in the first and third degrees.
He is also facing several charges in Los Angeles which include forcible rape, sexual penetration by use of force, and sexual battery. He has denied all the allegations.
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