An agreement has been reached to settle for nearly US$19 million two sexual misconduct lawsuits on behalf of multiple women against imprisoned former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, attorneys said on Tuesday.
However, lawyers representing six of the women called the proposed deal a “complete sellout” that did not require the 68-year-old former film producer to accept responsibility or pay out of his own pocket.
The settlement, which must still be approved by a federal judge and a bankruptcy court, would resolve a lawsuit filed against Weinstein, his production company and his brother in 2018 by the New York Attorney General’s office.
Photo: Reuters
It would also bring an end to a separate class-action lawsuit brought in 2017 on behalf of nine women who accused Weinstein of sexual harassment or assault, New York Attorney General Letitia James said.
“After all the harassment, threats and discrimination, these survivors are finally receiving some semblance of justice,” James wrote on Twitter.
The deal would release the women from non-disclosure agreements that prevented them from speaking publicly about Weinstein, she said.
A lawyer who represented the class of women who brought the 2017 lawsuit, Whitney Siehl, called her clients heroes who had “ignited a movement” by going public with their accusations.
Yet attorneys Douglas Wigdor and Kevin Mintzer said that the settlement was “deeply unfair” to their clients and other women who would have no right to pursue claims against Weinstein and others in court.
“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,” Wigdor and Mintzer said in a written statement.
Weinstein was in February found guilty in the Manhattan Criminal Court of sexually assaulting Mimi Haleyi and raping Jessica Mann, convictions hailed as a victory for the #MeToo movement. He was sentenced the next month to 23 years in prison. He still faces trial on rape and sexual assault charges in Los Angeles.
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