In October 2017, The New York Times and The New Yorker reported that dozens of women had accused Harvey Weinstein, a prominent and longtime American film producer, of sexual harassment, sexual assault or rape. Many women in the film industry subsequently accused Weinstein of such acts. Weinstein denied "any non-consensual sex".
Shortly after the first allegations were published, Weinstein was fired from his company, The Weinstein Company, and expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and other professional associations. Criminal investigations into complaints from at least six women are ongoing in Los Angeles, New York, and London.
Video Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations
Background
Harvey Weinstein and his brother, Bob Weinstein, formed the film production company Miramax and led the company from 1979 to 2005. In March 2005, the Weinsteins founded The Weinstein Company and departed from Miramax that September.
Rumors of Weinstein's "casting couch" practices had circulated in Hollywood for years, and entertainment figures at times made allusion to them. In 1998, Gwyneth Paltrow said on Late Show with David Letterman that Weinstein "will coerce you to do a thing or two". In 2005, Courtney Love advised young actresses in an interview, "If Harvey Weinstein invites you to a private party in the Four Seasons, don't go." In 2010, an article titled "Harvey's Girls" for Pajiba alluded to Weinstein's "casting couch" reputation: "Every few years, Harvey picks a new girl as his pet". In 2012, a character on the TV series 30 Rock said: "I'm not afraid of anyone in show business, I turned down intercourse with Harvey Weinstein on no less than three occasions, out of five." At the 2013 Oscars ceremony, host Seth MacFarlane joked when announcing the Best Supporting Actress nominees: "Congratulations, you five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein."
In 2015, Jordan Sargent wrote in his Gawker article "Tell Us What You Know About Harvey Weinstein's 'Open Secret'" that "rumors of the powerful producer leveraging his industry power for sexual satisfactionâ€"consensual or otherwiseâ€"have tended to remain unaired, confined to hushed conversation and seedier gossip-blog comment threads." In the same year, The New York Times reported that Weinstein was questioned by police "after a 22-year-old woman accused him of touching her inappropriately". The woman, Italian model Ambra Gutierrez, cooperated with police to obtain an audio recording where Weinstein admitted to having inappropriately touched her. As the police investigation progressed and began public, tabloids began publishing negative stories about Gutierrez that portrayed her as an opportunist. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. decided not to bring criminal charges against Weinstein, citing a lack of evidence, against the advice of police who considered the evidence sufficient.
Maps Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations
2017 reporting
Substantial allegations of sexual misconduct by Weinstein were first reported by the journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey in The New York Times on October 5, 2017. The story accused Weinstein of three decades of sexually harassing and paying eight settlements to actresses and female Miramax and Weinstein Company production assistants, temps, and other employees.
On October 10, 2017, NBC News correspondent Ronan Farrow reported in The New Yorker further allegations that Weinstein had sexually assaulted or harassed 13 women, and raped three. Farrow said he had wanted to break the story months earlier with NBC but implied the network was under pressure not to publish, which NBC denied. According to Farrow, 16 former, or current, executives and assistants connected with Weinstein said that they had witnessed or had been informed of Weinstein's non-consensual sexual advances to women. Four actresses relayed their suspicion that, after rejecting Weinstein's advances and complaining about him, he had them removed from projects or persuaded others to remove them. A number of Farrow's sources said Weinstein had referred to his success in planting stories in the media about individuals who had crossed him. The New Yorker published a covert recording made by New York City police in 2015 in which Weinstein admits to groping Gutierrez.
Alleged victims
Sexual harassment or assault
After The New York Times and The New Yorker articles were published, many women accused him of sexual harassment, assault or rape. According to their reports, he would invite young actresses or models into a hotel room or office on the pretext of discussing their career, and then demand massages or sex. Former colleagues and collaborators of Weinstein told reporters that these activities were enabled by employees, associates and agents who set up these meetings, and lawyers and publicists who suppressed complaints with payments and threats.
Women who said they had been sexually harassed or assaulted by Weinstein include:
Rape
Several women have accused Weinstein of rape:
- Lysette Anthony told British police that Weinstein raped her in the late 1980s at her home in London.
- Asia Argento told The New Yorker that in 1997, Weinstein invited her into a hotel room, "pulled her skirt up, forced her legs apart, and performed oral sex on her as she repeatedly told him to stop".
- Lucia Evans said that after a business meeting in 2004, Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex on him.
- According to Mimi Haleyi, Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in his New York City apartment in 2006 when she was in her 20s.
- Dominique Huett also said Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her and then carried out another sexual act in front of her.
- Natassia Malthe said that in 2008, Weinstein barged into her London hotel room at night and raped her.
- Rose McGowan wrote on Twitter that she told the Amazon Studios head Roy Price that Weinstein had raped her, but that Price ignored this and continued collaborating with Weinstein. Price later resigned from his post following sexual harassment allegations against him.
- An unnamed woman told The New Yorker that Weinstein invited her into a hotel room on a pretext, and "forced himself on [her] sexually" despite her protests.
- Another unnamed actress told the Los Angeles Times that in 2013, Weinstein "bullied his way" into her hotel room, grabbed her by the hair, dragged her into the bathroom and raped her.
Weinstein's responses
In response to the New York Times article, Weinstein said: "I appreciate the way I've behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it." He said he was due to take a sabbatical and was working with therapists to "deal with this issue head on". His consulting lawyer, Lisa Bloom, described him as "an old dinosaur learning new ways", but, after receiving criticism from board members of The Weinstein Company for her handling of his defense, ended her work for Weinstein on October 7. Weinstein's attorney Charles Harder said his client would be suing The New York Times, but as of October 15, Harder was no longer working for Weinstein.
In response to the report in The New Yorker, a spokesperson for Weinstein stated:
Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances ... Mr. Weinstein has begun counseling, has listened to the community and is pursuing a better path. Mr. Weinstein is hoping that if he makes enough progress, he will be given a second chance.
Reactions
Weinstein's alleged actions were widely denounced by prominent persons in entertainment and politics, and triggered a public discussion about, as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences put it, "willful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behavior and workplace harassment" in the film industry. The Guardian contacted 20 male actors who had worked with Weinstein; none initially commented. The paper concluded that, while many prominent women condemned Weinstein, "most high-profile men in the industry have remained silent".
Business and professional associations
On October 8, 2017, The Weinstein Company's board of directors fired Weinstein, and on October 17, he resigned from the company's board. Several companies ended their collaborations with The Weinstein Company, including Apple (October 9), Hachette (October 12), Amazon (October 13), Lexus and Ovation (October 25).
During the week of Weinstein's firing, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts suspended Weinstein's membership and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Academy Awards, expelled Weinstein. In addition, the Producers Guild of America expelled Weinstein in a unanimous board vote.
Criminal and civil rights investigations
In October 2017, the New York City Police Department, London's Metropolitan Police Service and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) were reviewing allegations against Weinstein following the reporting about his conduct. The British investigation concerns complaints of assault, by three women, said to have occurred in London in the late 1980s, 1992, 2010, 2011 and 2015. The LAPD investigation concerns an allegation of rape by an unnamed actress.
If prosecuted in the U.S. for felony sexual assault for the allegation that he forced Lucia Evans into oral sex, Weinstein could face up to 25 years in prison, but legal experts considered a prosecution uncertain.
On October 23, 2017, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman opened a civil rights investigation into The Weinstein Company, issuing a subpoena for records related to sexual harassment and discrimination complaints at the company.
Politics
Prominent politicians condemned Weinstein's actions. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Michelle Obama denounced Weinstein's reported behavior on October 10. French President Emmanuel Macron initiated the revocation of Weinstein's Legion of Honor title. In the UK, Labour members of parliament requested the revocation of Weinstein's Commander of the British Empire honorary title.
Several politicians Weinstein had supported gave his donations to charities, including Democratic Senators Al Franken, Patrick Leahy, and Martin Heinrich.
Other reactions
Weinstein's wife Georgina Chapman announced on October 10, 2017, that she was divorcing him.
Also in October 2017, the University at Buffalo began revoking Weinstein's honorary degree, and Harvard University rescinded Weinstein's 2014 W. E. B. Du Bois medal, presented to individuals in recognition of their contributions to African American culture.
0 Comments