The victims of convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein are set to receive a portion of a $19 million payout. The women were sexually abused and harassed by Weinstein while working for his production company.
The settlement is part of a deal negotiated by the New York state attorney general’s office in its class-action lawsuit against The Weinstein Company. Former employees of the production company who “experienced a hostile work environment, sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination” are eligible for part of the compensation fund, according to a press release from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office.
The agreement still needs to be approved by the district court presiding over the case. In addition to the payout, the AG’s office said the agreement will end any confidentiality or non-disclosure agreements Weinstein’s victims signed with the company of any of its former reps. The AG’s office filed the suit against Weinstein, his brother Bob Weinstein and the film production company in February 2018.
The suit accused Weinstein and his ex-business-partner/brother of violating numerous state codes against sexual harassment, intimidation, and other workplace safety protections. According to the AG’S office, there was a vast amount of complaints filed with human resources that never saw the light of day.
For years, assistants working for Weinstein “were exposed to and required to facilitate” sexual encounters for him “as a condition of employment,” the office has stated. “Harvey Weinstein and The Weinstein Company failed their female employees,” James said in a statement. “After all the harassment, threats, and discrimination, these survivors are finally receiving some justice.”
The disgraced movie mogul was sentenced to 23 years in prison in March after a Manhattan jury found him guilty of forcibly performing oral sex on former Project Runway staffer Miriam “Mimi” Haleyi in 2006 and raping hairstylist Jessica Mann in 2013.
The scandal gained notoriety and fueled the #MeToo Movement even inspiring an episode of Law & Order SVU.
The post Harvey Weinstein’s Victims Settled for $19M Payout appeared first on The Source.
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