Just one day after the New York Times exposed mega film producer Harvey Weinstein, for decades of sexual harassment, his lawyer announced plans to sue the publication. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
“The New York Times published, today a story that is saturated with false and defamatory statements about Harvey Weinstein,” he wrote in an email to The Hollywood Reporter. “It relies on mostly hearsay accounts and a faulty report, apparently stolen from an employee personnel file, which has been debunked by nine different eyewitnesses. We sent the Times the facts and evidence, but they ignored it and rushed to publish. We are preparing the lawsuit now. All proceeds will be donated to women’s organizations.” ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The publication discovered eight settlements Harvey reached with women – including actresses Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan – spanning over three decades. All of the women claimed Harvey acted inappropriately during work meetings. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Other victims included two assistants, another actress, a Weinstein employee, and Italian model, Ambra Battilana , who sued Harvey in 2015 for groping her during a meeting. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Soon after, Weinstein’s lawyer, David Boies, donated $10,000 to the DA’s office after Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. declined to pursue the charges Battilana filed against Harvey, according to the IB Times. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Though Harvey apologized for his behavior in a statement to the New York Times and announced plans to take a leave of absence, his attorney, Lisa Bloom, said “he denies many of the accusations as patently false.”
