Three Harvey Weinstein accusers have dismissed their lawsuits against the disgraced filmmaker and convicted rapist.
Sarah Ann Thomas, Louisette Geiss, and Melissa Thompson have voluntarily dismissed their cases against Weinstein following talks of a settlement. In January, a Delaware judge overseeing The Weinstein Company bankruptcy approved a settlement plan.
The three women led a class-action suit against several individuals involved in the Weinstein scandal, including board members of his former company and Miramax. However, on April 18th, 2019, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein rejected all of the claims except for the sex trafficking count against Weinstein. He was later convicted of a slew of sex crimes and received a 23-year prison sentence.
Weinstein Co. insurers worked closely with stakeholders on a settlement that established a $17 million sexual misconduct claims fund for victims of the once famed movie producer. Though the stakeholders could not force the accusers to drop the claims against Weinstein, they did incentivize the women.
According to the settlement plan, a sexual misconduct claims examiner will review each claim and accompanying documentation. That person would then assign the claims “point award.” The number of points will determine how much money each woman is entitled to. Accusers will get to choose whether or not they would like to drop their claims. Those who don’t will only qualify for 25 percent of their allotment from the victim’s fund.
Accusers can reinstate their claims if the sexual misconduct claims fund is not disbursed within 120 days.
