It’s been two years since disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual misconduct by several women. Not only did this result in the MeToo movement, the accusations levelled at Weinstein has culminated in a series of civil and criminal lawsuits.
But don’t expect to see Harvey Weinstein behind bars just yet as he has reportedly reached a tentative settlement agreement with his accusers that’ll not require him to admit to any wrongdoing or personally pay anything.
According to The New York Times, a tentative $36.5 million settlement agreement has been reached between Harvey Weinstein and the dozens of women accusing him of sexual misconduct in a series of civil lawsuits. Should this settlement be approved by all parties, this will close the civil lawsuits that were brought against Weinstein.
The $36.5 million is part of an overall $68.5 million settlement deal intended to close out the producer’s old studio’s obligations and will be paid out by the insurance companies rather than Weinstein himself.
However, the compensation breakdown and certain terms of the deal beyond Weinstein not having to admit any wrongdoing or pay anything himself doesn’t paint the rosiest of pictures for his alleged MeToo victims.
About $17.5 million (about a quarter of the settlement package) would go towards some of the legal costs for Harvey Weinstein and the former board members of his company, who will be insulated from future liability. The alleged victims will also have to drop their claims against Weinstein and the other executives as part of the deal.
18 of the alleged victims will split $9 million, with no one getting more than $725,000, while a separate pot of $27 million will be put aside for those part of a class-action case, and the New York attorney general’s suit and any future claimants. Even still, these terms still come with uncertainty.
While most of the participants in the civil suit reportedly agreed to go forward with this deal, two of Weinstein’s accusers who have brought civil suits against him reportedly intend to challenge the tentative agreement.
Reaching a deal in which Weinstein won’t have to admit any wrongdoing while also not having to pay a cent to his accusers is a kick in the face for his alleged victims and the MeToo movement as it essentially lets him off the hook.
Time’s Up has issued a statement criticising the tentative settlement deal reached in Harvey Weinstein’s civil cases, with COO Rebecca Goldman calling it “a symptom of a problematic, broken system that privileges powerful abusers at the expense of survivors.”
“While this settlement is flawed, we know it represents the hard work of several survivors of Harvey Weinstein. We hope it brings them, and perhaps others, some small measure of justice and relief that is long overdue.
“Today and every day, Time’s Up is in solidarity with the more than 80 survivors who bravely spoke out against Weinstein, catalyzing a worldwide reckoning for justice. With them, we will continue to fight until sexual harassment and assault at work are gone for good.”
While the civil suits against Harvey Weinstein may be reaching an end with this tentative settlement, the producer will still have to deal with a number of criminal charges, which will take on additional significance as these will likely be the only legal recourse for the many of the producer’s alleged MeToo victims.
The producer is scheduled to be tried in Manhattan in January 2020 on criminal charges of sexual assault involving two women and all eyes will be on how this will unfold.
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