Those who’ve accused Harvey Weinstein, the longtime Hollywood producer, of sexual assault might have finally reached a tentative settlement. Instead of settling with Mr. Weinstein directly, however, many of the accusers have decided to settle with the board representing Weinstein’s film company, The Weinstein Company. According to lawyers representing some of these women, this is a global settlement with dozens of his accusers.
The settlement is said to cover nearly all of the civil cases pending against Weinstein, paying out almost $47 million in total. However, many of the accusers have already spoken out against the settlement in various statements released online and through their lawyers. Two of these lawyers, Douglas Wigdor and Kevin Mintzer, plan on blocking the settlement, as they claim it bars accusers from holding Weinstein directly accountable for his actions.
“It is difficult for accusers in this type of situation,” says Attorney Larry Buckfire, “as they often want both justice and financial compensation, which many feel is not always the same thing.
This settlement proposal will not be official until an important condition is met: in the two criminal cases involving Weinstein, the judges must agree on the settlement. If this happens, The Weinstein Co’s insurance companies would then be responsible for paying the $45 million. $25 million of this settlement would go to paying the women for their civil suits, while $18.5 would be put in a settlement for a class-action lawsuit. The rest of the settlement amount would then go toward various expenses, such as lawyer fees for the board members accused, totaling $12 million.
The crux of this settlement that bothers many of the accusers is that Weinstein would not be responsible for admitting any wrongdoing. What’s more, he would not be liable for paying any of the civil lawsuits himself. Instead, his film company would have to bear the brunt of those costs. One of the accusers, Zoe Brock, who was the first woman to accuse Weinstein, said that it breaks her heart to accept this settlement, but that it was her best legal avenue after weighing all her options.
Other accusers have been more amenable toward the settlement, such as Genie Harrison, who was a former personal assistant to Weinstein. She is suing him for incessant sexual harassment while she worked for him between 2013 and 2015, and said that the settlement is the best deal they will likely get. She said that she hopes other victims understand they have done their best to seek justice, but this is still their best option to get the compensation they deserve.
