Harvey Weinstein
Alberto E. Rodriguez l Getty Images
Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood mogul accused of sexual misconduct stretching back decades, has reached a tentative $44 million deal to settle civil lawsuits by alleged victims, according to multiple reports on Thursday.
The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, citing people familiar with the deal, reported that $30 million would go to plaintiffs including alleged victims, employees and creditors of Weinstein’s now-defunct film studio — The Weinstein Company. The remaining $14 million would be used to pay legal fees for Weinstein’s associates named as defendants in the lawsuits, the reports said.
Insurance policies would cover the amount if the deal is finalized, according to the reports. The agreement is pending approval from advisors in charge of The Weinstein Company’s bankruptcy proceedings, the Journal and the Times reported.
CNBC contacted a lawyer for Weinstein for comment, but did not immediately hear back.
Weinstein was publicly accused by dozens of women — including actresses Ashley Judd and Uma Thurman — of sexual misconduct. The studio he founded with his brother filed for bankruptcy in March last year after facing mounting debt and lawsuits.
The proposed $44 million deal, if finalized, would resolve civil lawsuits filed by multiple women against Weinstein and his associates, the reports said. The agreement would also settle a lawsuit by the New York attorney general’s office against The Weinstein Company, according to the reports.
But the deal wouldn’t affect criminal charges against Weinstein that include rape and other sex crimes, the Journal said. A trial for that case has been scheduled for September, according to the Journal. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty.
For more on Harvey Weinstein’s tentative settlement deal, read the reports from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
Source:CNBC
