Harvey Weinstein is in prison serving time for sexual misconduct charges. However, the disgraced Hollywood executive is far from done with his legal battles. He may be facing additional criminal charges in Los Angeles down the road, but a civil case filed against Weinstein, Weinstein Company Holdings, and some members of TWC, is now in the rear view mirror as well, as an $18.875 million settlement has been reached on behalf of nine different women who sued Weinstein for sexual harassment.
While the nearly $19 million settlement was won on behalf of nine plaintiffs, if approved by the judge, it will create a victims fund that can potentially be drawn on by other victims of Weinstein in a way that will allow them to make claims without going public,
The suit was filed in November 2017 and accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment and abuse. The suit also included other current and former members of the Weinstein Company, who the suit claimed failed to prevent or stop the abuse. The settlement will require approval by the judge but as Deadline reports it is supported by both the New York State Office of the Attorney General as well as the other side, it is almost certain to be accepted.
While the settlement can be seen as a big victory for Harvey Weinstein's victims, not everybody is on board with the settlement. Attorneys representing six other women, some of whom are handling independent legal proceedings against him, call the deal a "sell out" of other victims.
Under the terms of the deal, Harvey Weinstein accepts no responsibility for his actions, and apparently, none of the money going toward the settlement is actually coming from Weinstein himself. It will also make any further civil claims difficult if not impossible under the terms of this deal.
Victims who wish to claim some portion of the settlement can fall into two categories depending on how much detail they are willing to reveal about their incidents. By submitting a claim form, with or without supporting documentation, which describes the abuse, a claimant can receive between $7,500 and $150,000. The second category adds an interview by the Special Master handling disbursements, and awards can increase to up to $750,000.
Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison following a guilty verdict in February for charges including rape in the third degree and criminal sexual acts in the third degree. Charges against Weinstein for sexual battery were filed in Los Angeles in March. The process of extraditing Weinstein to Southern California had been begun, but due to the ongoing pandemic, that process has been stalled, so it's unclear when the former producer will face these additional charges against him.
