The board of the Weinstein Co has dismissed the beleaguered film studio’s president and chief operating officer, less than a week after he was cited for failing to act on employee harassment complaints.
In a statement, the studio said its board “has unanimously voted to terminate David Glasser for cause.”
A spokeswoman for the Weinstein Co was unavailable for immediate comment. Glasser could not immediately be reached for comment.
Last Sunday, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sued the Weinstein Co and Harvey Weinstein alleging years of sexual misconduct by the movie producer. The civil suit also accused executives of repeatedly failing to protect employees from Weinstein.
Weinstein, 65, was one of Hollywood’s most influential men before more than 70 women accused him of sexual misconduct, including rape. He has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone and Reuters has not been able to independently confirm the allegations.
Schneiderman also said that Glasser, who supervised the company’s human resources department and was in charge of handling dozens of complaints against Weinstein, should not benefit from any sale of the studio. Schneiderman said Glasser at the time was in line to be chief executive.
The studio was in talks to sell itself to a group of investors led by former US president Barack Obama administration official Maria Contreras-Sweet, but Schneiderman’s lawsuit put the deal negotiations on hold, people familiar with the matter said.
Responding to Schneiderman’s lawsuit on Feb. 11, Weinstein’s attorney Ben Brafman said a fair investigation would prove that many of the allegations against his client were without merit.
Separately, a termination agreement released on Friday between embattled casino mogul Steve Wynn and the company bearing his name leaves him without any severance or compensation and prohibits his involvement in any competing gambling business for two years.
The Las Vegas billionaire has resigned as chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts Ltd amid sexual misconduct allegations. As part of the agreement, he also agreed to cooperate with any investigation or lawsuits involving his time with the company, which experts have said are likely to keep mounting. Wynn has vehemently denied the misconduct accusations and attributed them to a campaign led by his ex-wife. The allegations surfaced last month, when the Wall Street Journal reported that a number of women said Wynn harassed or assaulted them and that one case led to a US$7.5 million settlement.
An attorney for Elaine Wynn has denied that she instigated the news report.
Wynn is facing scrutiny by gambling regulators in Nevada and Massachusetts, where the company is building a roughly US$2.4 billion casino just outside Boston. Regulators in Macau, the Chinese enclave where the company operates two casinos, are also inquiring about the accusations.
In addition, groups of stockholders have filed three lawsuits in state court in Las Vegas in the wake of the scandal. The groups, including Pennsylvania-based Operating Engineers Construction Industry and Miscellaneous Pension Fund, have accused Wynn and the company’s board of directors of breaching their fiduciary duties.
Additional reporting by AP
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