After a years-long back and forth, it looks like Harvey Weinstein is on his way to ending his legal troubles with a $25 million settlement between himself and dozens of his victims.
However, Weinstein himself will not have to pay back the large sum. Instead, insurance companies who represent The Weinstein Company will pay the victims. Under a deal that was reached Wednesday, Weinstein will not be required to admit to any wrongdoing, nor be responsible financially in his many sexual misconduct cases. Civil cases against him will also be dismissed.
More than three dozen women, many of them actresses and former employees have accused the disgraced film producer of rape and sexual harassment. Eighteen of Weinstein’s victims will split $6.2 million, with each getting no more than $500k. Another $18.5 million will be set aside for those currently in a class action case and any other future claimants.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Times UP, the anti-sexual harassment group, who has long supported victims of Weinstein, released a statement on Wednesday, criticizing the settlement.
“This settlement is more than a math problem, it’s a symptom of a problematic, broken system that privileges powerful abusers at the expense of survivors,” said Time’s Up chief operating officer Rebecca Goldman. “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.”
Despite the settlement, Weinstein is still set to go to trial in January for sex abuse charges against two women.
