A New York Times investigation finds previously undisclosed allegations of sexual harassment against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein stretching over nearly three decades, including from actresses Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan. Weinstein (above, with wife Georgina Chapman) has reached at least eight settlements with women, the Times reports. Fallout from the Times article was immediate, with Weinstein apologizing for some of his behavior, taking a leave of absence from his company and signaling a legal and public-relations counteroffensive. Recriminations are already being heard over who looked the other way in the film industry, media and Democratic Party, the latter of which Weinstein generously supported. Lists of Weinstein's donations to Democrats and his visits to the Obama White House can be found here and here.
From the New York Times:
Read Full Article »Dozens of Mr. Weinstein's former and current employees, from assistants to top executives, said they knew of inappropriate conduct while they worked for him. Only a handful said they ever confronted him.
Mr. Weinstein enforced a code of silence; employees of the Weinstein Company have contracts saying they will not criticize it or its leaders in a way that could harm its “business reputation” or “any employee's personal reputation,” a recent document shows. And most of the women accepting payouts agreed to confidentiality clauses prohibiting them from speaking about the deals or the events that led to them.
