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Harvey Weinstein Sacked By The Weinstein Company Board Over Sexual Harassment Claims

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Harvey Weinstein Sacked By The Weinstein Company Board Over Sexual Harassment Claims

Award-winning Hollywood Producer Harvey Weinstein was sacked from his own firm, The Weinstein Company (TWC). This firing took place last night following reports of sexual harassment by many women who worked with him.

In one of the most interesting turn of events, 65-year-old Producer Harvey Weinstein was fired from his film studio TWC which he co-founded. Weinstein, who won an Academy Award for Shakespeare in Love has produced innumerable critically acclaimed films such as Silver Linings Playbook, The Crying Game, Clerks, Pulp, Good Will Hunting, and Sex, Lies, and Videotape. He has had a stint in the theater too with plays such as Billy Elliot the Musical, The Producers, and August: Osage County.

Weinstein’s fall began when rumors starting floating early this week that he has been in a legal battle, trying to settle sexual harassment allegations made by his former women employees and associates for decades. All hell broke loose when actress Ashley Judd too accused Harvey Weinstein of making improper sexual advances at the time when Weinstein was running Miramax, the company now owned by Disney.

This allegation was soon followed by an official statement by The Weinstein Company board stating that they have decided to terminate Weinstein’s employment. “In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of the Weinstein Company – Robert Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar – have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with the Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately,” the statement read (via ABC).

Weinstein’s so-called improper conduct with women is an open secret in Hollywood. It was revealed last week that Weinstein had made around eight settlements with women allegedly sexually harassed by him. He would apparently invite his women employees to his hotel room, where he would welcome them naked, or ask them to watch him take his shower, or even ask them to massage him. Earlier, Rose McGowan, who had accused Weinstein of inappropriate behavior during the making of Scream, managed to get a settlement of $100,000.

As this was not enough, a series of new allegations accused Harvey Weinstein of inappropriate sexual advances. The board’s statement did not mention about the “new information” that led to their decision to terminate him.

Weinstein has owned up his mistakes even though he continues to deny many of the allegations levied against him. The Producer, in a recent interview withPage Six said, “I am going to fix myself, I am going to fix how I deal with women and how I deal with my temper and power … I came of age in the 60s and 70s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different.”

Meanwhile Lisa Bloom, Weinstein’s lawyer, who had referred to many of the allegations as “patently false,” has resigned. “I have resigned as an advisor to Harvey Weinstein.”My understanding is that Mr. Weinstein and his board is moving to an agreement,” tweeted Bloom.

The alleged victims are receiving immense support from across the globe from writers, journalists, artists, and actors. Mark Ruffalo and Seth Rogen also supported the accusers in a statement released over the weekend.

TWC is now being handled by Harvey Weinstein’s brother Bob Weinstein, along with David Glasser, chief operating officer. Both have been trying hard to push Harvey Weinstein out of the firm as they were afraid that any affiliation with him will affect the brand. Weinstein had hence decided to take an indefinite leave before he was finally sacked.

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Source: The Weinstein Company (via ABC)

 

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