Harvey Weinstein during an appearance in court on February 24, 2020.
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July 1, 2020 10: 40 am
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Weinstein: Agreement on a fund of$ 19 Million for the victims
Agence France-Presse
NEW YORK — The women harassed or assaulted while working for Harvey Weinstein and his own production company should soon be able to be indemnified by a fund, with$ 19 Million, following an agreement that was supposed to put an end to the two legal actions and announced by the prosecutor of the State of New York.
According to the prosecutor Letitia James, the agreement still needs to be validated by two judges — the bankruptcy judge overseeing the liquidation of the Weinstein Company and a federal judge in new york city.
If it is accepted, it will put an end to an action under the collective name brought to civil justice, federal against the ex-Hollywood producer — who is currently serving a sentence of 23 years in prison — as well as the complaint filed in February 2018 by the prosecutor of New York against the ex-producer, who is accused of including required sexual favors to some employees, with the complicity of her society.
“After all the harassment, threats, discrimination, these victims will finally see justice done”, welcomed the prosecutor.
Louisette Geiss, one of the women at the origin of the complaint under the collective name against the ex-producer, welcomed the creation of a fund that will provide compensation to “a lot of victims who have lost their careers, and much more.”
“Deeply unfair”
The lawyers, Douglas Wigdor and Kevin Mintzer, representing six alleged victims of Harvey Weinstein, however, have denounced the draft agreement as “deeply unfair”.
In particular, they have pointed out that Harvey Weinstein not accept any responsibility for his actions, that he would not contribute financially to the fund and the victims who would like to continue in spite of all the insurance companies of the producer and his company is not able to do more because they are freed from any obligation under the agreement.
The statement from the prosecutor on Tuesday did not mention another project of agreement announced in December 2019, which provided for the payment of approximately$ 25 Million to the alleged victims in the framework of a global agreement that would meet all liabilities, litigation and the obligations of the Weinstein Company.
Several separate agreements are negotiated between lawyers to settle a series of lawsuits filed in civil litigation in the wake of the case of Weinstein, who was busted in October 2017 and gave birth to the movement #MoiAussi, movement of denunciation of sexual assaults often go unpunished, perpetrated by men of power.
Accused of sexual assault and harassment by a hundred women, Harvey Weinstein, 68, was found guilty of rape and sexual assault by a jury in new york last February, a historic victory for the #MoiAussi.
