The statement issued by Rob Cohen’s spokesperson described the pair as having “an excellent working relationship and Mr. Cohen considered her a friend, so this claim dating back to 2002 is bewildering”.
Harvey Weinstein attended the court
hearing in New York using a walking frame. His lawyers said he was undergoing
surgery on December 12 for injuries suffered in a car accident in August.
The $25 million settlement is part
of a larger $47 million package intended to close the Weinstein Company’s
liabilities, including legal fees. Harvey Weinstein would not pay personally,
the sum would come from insurance companies representing the Weinstein Company.
A group lawsuit had been brought by
dozens of women who accuse Harvey Weinstein of harassment and abuse, though
high-profile figures who have also made allegations, such as Gwyneth Paltrow
and Angelina Jolie, are not part of the action.
Genie Harrison, a lawyer for one of
the plaintiffs, told the New York Times:
“I don’t think there’s a markedly
better deal to be made.”
She said other alleged victims who
hold out could end up with nothing, and that they should “come forward and
be able to get the best level of compensation we were able to get”.
One plaintiff backing the deal, Louisette Geiss, told Associated Press: “This settlement will ensure that all survivors have the chance for recovery and can move forward without Harvey’s damaging lock on their careers.”
One of the accusers of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was told by police to delete any files from her phone that she wanted to keep private, prosecutors have admitted.
Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi-Orbon said the complainant was told by a detective to “delete anything she did not want anyone to see”.
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said the development “undermines” the case.
He faces charges involving alleged assaults on two women. The Hollywood producer denies the charges.
Joan Illuzzi-Orbon wrote in a letter to Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer, Ben Brafman: “My office had asked Complainant 2 to produce any and all cell phones that she might have used during the time she interacted with the defendant.”
However, she adds that the woman said she was then advised to remove files “before providing the phones to our office”.
Despite this advice, the woman still provided the phones used to communicate with Harvey Weinstein “without any deletions”, Joan Illuzzi-Orbon said.
Ben Brafman later released a statement in response to the letter, saying the news “further undermines the integrity of an already deeply flawed indictment of Mr. Weinstein”.
The lawyer earlier requested that the entire case be dismissed.
Last week a charge against Harvey Weinstein by actress Lucia Evans was dismissed by a judge in New York after she was said to have given a differing account of events.
Hervey Weinstein has been accused of assault by more than 70 women.
The accusations against the producer helped awaken the #MeToo movement, which has seen hundreds of women accusing high-profile men in business, government and entertainment of sexual abuse and harassment.
Harvey Weinstein, 66, has agreed to wear a GPS tracker and to surrender his passport.
The film mogul also faces additional investigations in Los Angeles and London, and by the US federal government.
Harvey Weinstein, who has been on $1 million bail since his arrest in May, denies having non-consensual contacts, his lawyers have previously said.
According to recent reports, Harvey Weinstein is expected to surrender to New York police on May 25 on misconduct charges.
Harvey Weinstein faces arrest following a grand jury investigation, the reports say.
The Hollywood mogul has been hit with numerous allegations, including rape and assault, but has denied non-consensual relation with anyone.
It would be the first time Harvey Weinstein has been charged since the accusations emerged.
The allegations triggered the #MeToo movement which sought to demonstrate and draw attention to the widespread prevalence of abuse and harassment.
The charges will stem from an investigation made by a Manhattan grand jury. They have not been made official and the indictment depends on district attorney Cyrus Vance.
According to a New York Times report, the charges relate to an allegation brought by actress Lucia Evans.
The actress detailed her accusations against Harvey Weinstein in an article in the New Yorker in October 2017.
It is not clear if the former producer will face more charges brought by other accusers.
It is known that New York police have been investigating allegations of rape made by actress Paz de la Huerta.
This month Netflix producer Alexandra Canosa files court papers in New York alleging Harvey Weinstein raped, assaulted and verbally abused her over a five-year period.
The statute of limitations will be an issue in some cases but it is not thought to apply in the Evans case. Even if the limitations apply, a judge could still call women to testify to establish a pattern of behavior, as in the recent trial of Bill Cosby.
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, has not commented on reports that his client will imminently turn himself in.
The Times said Harvey Weinstein would surrender on May 25 and be arraigned at Manhattan Criminal Court.
Harvey Weinstein has faced accusations of harassment and assault from dozens of women. Some have alleged rape.
Kate Beckinsale, Lysette Anthony and Gwyneth Paltrow are among the high-profile figures to have spoken out.
The civil rights lawsuit against the company alleges that Harvey Weinstein harassed and abused women employed by the studio for years, as well as making verbal threats to kill staff members.
It accuses senior executives at the company, including Harvey Weinstein’s brother Robert, of failing to prevent the mistreatment of staff despite being presented with evidence.
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is seeking an unspecified sum to cover damages, plus penalties, for victims of alleged abuse.
A lawyer for Harvey Weinstein has said a “fair investigation” will show that many of the allegations are without merit, while the company’s board of directors has said many of the allegations relating to the board are “inaccurate”.
The allegations against Harvey Weinstein first surfaced in October 2017, when the New York Times published a story detailing decades of allegations of harassment against the mogul.
Since then, more than 50 women, among them some of the biggest names in Hollywood, have accused Harvey Weinstein of assault, harassment, abuse and rape.
In the wake of the allegations, Harvey Weinstein was sacked by the board of his company.
He has admitted that his behavior has “caused a lot of pain” but has described many of the allegations against him as “patently false”.
Harvey Weinstein is under investigation by UK and US police, but no criminal charges have been brought.
The state of New York is suing The Weinstein Company, alleging that the studio failed to protect staff from Harvey Weinstein.
Harvey Weinstein, 65, is facing dozens of allegations of abuse, including rape, but denies non-consensual acts.
The lawsuit filed by New York prosecutors alleges Harvey Weinstein abused female employees and made verbal threats to kill staff members.
However, Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer said a “fair investigation” would show that many of the allegations were without merit.
The Weinstein Company’s board of directors said it was “disappointed” by the lawsuit.
On February 11, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said that he had filed the suit against The Weinstein Company, as well as Harvey Weinstein and his brother Robert, who co-founded the studio.
Eric Schneiderman is seeking an unspecified sum to cover damages, plus penalties, for victims of alleged abuse by Harvey Weinstein.
The document alleges that Harvey Weinstein harassed and abused women employed by the studio for years.
It accuses senior executives at the company, including Robert Weinstein, of failing to prevent the mistreatment of staff despite being presented with evidence.
The suit casts doubt over the sale of The Weinstein Company, which has been battling bankruptcy and is in talks with investors.
Eric Schneiderman said his investigation was continuing, but he had brought the suit out of concern that a possible sale would leave alleged victims without adequate compensation, and could benefit “perpetrators or enablers”.
It is reported that businesswoman Maria Contreras-Sweet has led talks to buy the studio for $500 million.
However, after news of the suit emerged, negotiations are now said to be on hold.
According to Variety, investors baulked at the prospect of the lawsuit adding conditions to the sale.
In October 2017, The New York Times published a story detailing decades of allegations of harassment against Harvey Weinstein.
Since then more than 50 women, among them some of the biggest names in Hollywood, have accused him assault, harassment, abuse and rape.
In the wake of the allegations, Harvey Weinstein was sacked by the board of his company.
Mira Sorvino said she is “heartsick” after learning she may have lost out on major roles because of Harvey Weinstein.
According to Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson, both Mira Sorvino and Ashley Judd were “blacklisted” following conversations with Harvey Weinstein’s company.
Both actresses have claimed Harvey Weinstein harassed them.
Harvey Weinstein has denied allegations of misconduct, and of blacklisting the actresses.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy was initially in development with Weinstein’s Miramax company, before being passed to New Line Cinema.
In an interview with Stuff.co.nz this week, Peter Jackson said he was interested in casting both women in the blockbuster franchise.
He told the website: “I recall Miramax telling us they were a nightmare to work with and we should avoid them at all costs. This was probably in 1998.
“At the time, we had no reason to question what these guys were telling us.
“I now suspect we were fed false information about both of these talented women – and as a direct result their names were removed from our casting list.”
“In hindsight, I realize that this was very likely the Miramax smear campaign in full swing,” he said.
Mira Sorvino tweeted: “Just seeing this after I awoke, I burst out crying.”
“There it is, confirmation that Harvey Weinstein derailed my career, something I suspected but was unsure. Thank you Peter Jackson for being honest. I’m just heartsick.”
Ashley Judd, meanwhile, recalled how her involvement progressed far enough to be invited by Jackson to see preparation work for the blockbuster trilogy.
She tweeted: “I remember this well.
“They asked which if the two roles I preferred, and then I abruptly never heard from them again. I appreciate the truth coming out.”
In a statement through a publicist, Harvey Weinstein denied the allegations that he was involved in blacklisting Mira Sorvino and Ashely Judd, saying that the casting for Lord of the Rings was carried out by New Line Cinema – not Miramax.
The statement said that Ashley Judd was cast in two other movies by Harvey Weinstein, and that “Sorvino was always considered for other films as well.”
Harvey Weinstein’s denial prompted Peter Jackson to write a further response, carried by Entertainment Weekly, calling it a “deflection from the truth”.
“In the 18 months we developed the Lord of the Rings at Miramax, we had many casting conversations with Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein and their executives,” the director wrote.
“The movies changed hands from Miramax to New Line before casting actually got underway – but because we had been warned off Ashley and Mira by Miramax, and we were naive enough to assume we’d been told the truth, [we] did not raise their names in New Line casting conversations.”
Harvey Weinstein is the central figure of the Hollywood harassment scandal, in which dozens of actresses have accused him of misconduct.
Mira Sorvino and Ashley Judd were among the first women to publicly share her experiences of harassment from Harvey Weinstein back in October.
Harvey Weinstein has “unequivocally denied” any allegations of non-consensual acts.
Rose McGowan is facing arrest for possession of a controlled substance.
An arrest warrant has been issued for the actress following an investigation into belongings left on a United Airlines flight from LA to Washington Dulles airport in January.
The belongings reportedly belonged to Rose McGowan and had traces of a controlled substance.
Washington police obtained the warrant on February 1, spokesman Rob Yingling said.
The authorities say they have been trying to contact Rose McGowan so she can appear in court in Virginia.
Rose McGowan, 44, is among the most prominent accusers of Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood mogul facing multiple allegations of assault and harassment.
Writing on Twitter on October 30, Rose McGowan hit out at the arrest warrant, asking: “Are they trying to silence me?”
Rose McGowan has accused Harvey Weinstein of raping her at the Sundance Film Festival in 1997. She received a $100,000 settlement after the incident, according to a New York Times report.
Through a spokesperson, Harvey Weinstein has denied any non-consensual contacts.
According to the New York Times, someone approached Rose McGowan’s lawyer in September to offer $1 million in exchange for her signature on a nondisclosure agreement regarding Harvey Weinstein’s conduct.
Rose McGowan told the Times she countered with a request for $6 million, but withdrew the counter-offer when the newspaper published allegations against Harvey Weinstein from several women.
Kevin Spacey, who revealed he was now living as a gay man, has made an apology after being accused of making advances toward Anthony Rapp when he was a child actor.
Anthony Rapp, who was 14 at the time, said Kevin Spacey invited him to a party and seemed drunk when the alleged incident happened.
Kevin Spacey, who was 26, said: “I honestly do not remember the encounter… but if I did behave then as he describes I owe him the sincerest apology.”
Anthony Rapp said he was sharing the story now after the Harvey Weinstein scandal.
Harvey Weinstein has been accused by more than 50 women of a range of allegations ranging from rape to harassment. The 65-year-old movie mogul has denied any claims of non-consensual contacts.
The accusations have sparked a debate about inappropriate behavior in the entertainment industry and beyond, and encouraged more people to share their experiences.
Anthony Rapp’s final tweet said “everything I wanted to say about my experience is in that article, and I have no further comment about it at this time”.
In his interview with BuzzFeed News, the 46-year-old Star Trek: Discovery actor said he was sitting on the edge of a bed after the party – held in Kevin Spacey’s apartment in 1986 – when Oscar-winning actor, now 58, came into the bedroom.
“He picked me up like a groom picks up the bride over the threshold. But I don’t, like, squirm away initially, because I’m like, <<What’s going on?>>. And then he lays down on top of me,” Anthony Rapp said.
“He was trying to seduce me…”
Anthony Rapp said he was able to go to the bathroom before he left.
Responding to the allegation, Kevin Spacey said he was “sorry for the feelings [Anthony Rapp] describes having carried with him all these years”.
Kevin Spacey also addressed “stories” about his personal life, saying he had had relationships with both men and women and was now living as a gay man.
“I want to deal with this honestly and openly and that starts with examining my own behavior.”
The Sopranos actress Annabella Sciorra has come forward to accuse disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein of rape.
The Italian-American actress told The New Yorker that Harvey Weinstein forced his way into her New York apartment and assaulted her in 1992.
Annabella Sciorra alleges that Harvey Weinstein harassed her in the subsequent years. In the article Daryl Hannah also says she was harassed by Harvey Weinstein.
His spokeswoman again said the producer denies claims of non-consensual contacts.
On October 26, another actress, Natassia Malthe, accused Harvey Weinstein of raping her in a London hotel room in 2008.
More than 50 women have now accused the movie mogul of a range of allegations ranging from rape to harassment.
Annabella Sciorra told the New Yorker‘s Ronan Farrow that the assault happened in 1992 after she had filmed The Night We Never Met, which Harvey Weinstein produced.
Harvey Weisntein forced himself into Annabella Sciorra’s apartment in New York while she was getting ready for bed after he had dropped her off following a group dinner.
The actress said Harvey Weinstein “pushed the door open” and refused to leave when asked, before shoving her onto the bed and raping her.
“I struggled, but I had very little strength left in me,” she said.
“Like most of these women, I was so ashamed of what happened. And I fought. I fought. But still I was like, Why did I open that door?… I felt disgusting.”
Annabella Sciorra said she did not report the incident to the police, but alleges her career began to suffer and did not work again until 1995.
“I just kept getting this pushback of <<We heard you were difficult; we heard this or that>>. I think that that was the Harvey machine.”
Daryl Hannah, who starred in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill series that Harvey Weinstein produced, also came forward with new allegations.
She said the producer tried to force himself into her hotel room when they were promoting Kill Bill and its sequel.
Daryl Hannah said that on one occasion the producer asked to grope her and then requested that she expose herself.
Since claims against him began to surface in early October, Harvey Weinstein has joined a rehabilitation program, but he has “unequivocally denied” all allegations of non-consensual contacts.
Natassia Malthe has accused Harvey Weinstein of raping her in a London hotel room after the 2008 BAFTA awards ceremony.
The Norwegian actress and model told a press conference in New York she met Harvey Weinstein at an after party and felt pressured into telling him she was staying at the Sanderson Hotel.
Natassia Malthe alleges Harvey Weinstein banged on her door, she let him in and he raped her.
The movie mogul has previously issued a statement saying he denies all allegations of non-consensual contacts.
Natassia Malthe, who has appeared in movies including This Means War alongside Reese Witherspoon, Tom Hardy and Chris Pine, said she was asleep when she was awoken by Harvey Weinstein’s “repeated pounding” on the door.
The actress said she heard someone yelling: “Open the door Natassia Malthe, it’s Harvey Weinstein.”
She said she received a script the next day and then returned to Los Angeles. Natassia Malthe said she was given the impression she had landed a role in the movie Nine, a film produced by Harvey Weinstein that would star Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman and Dame Judi Dench.
Natassia Malthe said Harvey Weinstein later asked her to meet him at the Beverly Hills Peninsula Hotel, telling her an assistant would be present.
However, the actress said when she got there, he instead asked her to join him and another woman.
She says she refused and when she later called him to turn down a role in one of his movies, he became angry and verbally abusive.
Natassia Malthe’s lawyer, Gloria Allred, said the Norwegian actress is “considering” whether to make a report to police over the allegation.
The news comes the day after a former production assistant, Mimi Haleyi, also accused Harvey Weinstein of raping her in 2006.
Another actress and model, Dominique Huett, also said she was raped by Harvey Weinstein. She has now has become the first woman to sue The Weinstein Company, alleging a single count of negligence.
Dozens of women have made accusations against Harvey Weinstein this month, including rape and assault.
Harvey Weinstein’s former assistant Zelda Perkins says she was paid £125,000 ($165,200) to keep quiet after accusing the movie mogul of harassment.
She told the Financial Times she signed a non-disclosure agreement in 1998 after making the accusations.
Zelda Perkins said Harvey Weinstein asked her to give him massages and tried to pull her into bed, but she “was made to feel ashamed for disclosing his behavior”.
Harvey Weinstein, 65, has denied any allegations of non-consensual contacts.
Zelda Perkins said she reported her allegations after a female colleague told her she had also been harassed by the film producer.
The two women subsequently sought damages and were awarded a sum of £250,000 ($330,500), split equally, but also signed a non-disclosure agreement, prohibiting them from discussing the allegations.
By breaking the agreement, Zelda Perkins could be liable to repay the settlement, and potentially pay damages and other legal fees stipulated in the contract.
However, Zelda Perkins told the Financial Times: “I want to publicly break my non-disclosure agreement.
“Unless somebody does this there won’t be a debate about how egregious these agreements are and the amount of duress that victims are put under.”
Zelda Perkins claims that Harvey Weinstein would ask her to massage him while he was in his underwear, when they were alone in hotel rooms.
Her testimony is similar to that of a number of Hollywood actresses – Lupita Nyong’o and Gwyneth Paltrow both claimed Harvey Weinstein suggested a massage in his bedroom and hotel room respectively.
Zelda Perkins added that she often had to wake him up in the morning and “he would try to pull me into bed”.
Harvey Weinstein has apologized for the way he has “behaved with colleagues in the past” and acknowledged that his actions have “caused a lot of pain”.
However, the film producer has said many of the accusations against him are “patently false”, and in a statement to the FT, said he had “confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances”.
Zelda Perkins is one of scores of accusers who have come forward after a New York Times investigation into Harvey Weinstein’s conduct.
Rose McGowan claimed that she reached a $100,000 settlement with Harvey Weinstein in 1997 after an alleged incident in a hotel room at the Sundance Film Festival.
The New York Times said a legal document confirming the settlement stipulated it was “not to be construed as an admission”, but intended to “avoid litigation and buy peace”.
Allegations against Harvey Weinstein are subject to criminal investigations in London, Los Angeles and New York.
Weinstein Company is also under civil rights investigation in New York.
New York prosecutors are investigating the Weinstein Company following allegations of assault made against its co-founder, Harvey Weinstein.
The civil rights inquiry seeks to identify employees who have been subject to harassment.
According to prosecutors, company documents will be seized as part of the investigation. These include documents relating to complaints about harassment and how such complaints were handled.
The Weinstein Company, which is based in New York, has come under intense pressure over the scandal and fired Harvey Weinstein from its board earlier this month.
More than two dozen women, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rose McGowan, have made a number of accusations against the film producer.
Harvey Weinstein, whose films have received more than 300 Oscar nominations, has “unequivocally denied” any allegations of non-consensual sex.
Meanwhile, LAPD announced its first investigation involving Harvey Weinstein in California.
Elsewhere, in London, police say Harvey Weinstein is accused of assaulting three women in separate incidents in the late 1980s, 1992, 2010, 2011 and 2015.
Officers are looking into claims they were attacked in Westminster, Camden and west London.
No arrests have been made over any of the allegations, police say.
Meanwhile, Matt Damon said he became aware of Harvey Weinstein’s alleged harassment of Gwyneth Paltrow in 1999.
In an interview with ABC News, the actor said: “I knew the story about Gwyneth [Paltrow] from Ben [Affleck], because he was with her after Brad [Pitt], so I knew that story.”
In the same interview George Clooney, whose big-screen break was a Weinstein film, said it is “beyond infuriating” that “predator” Harvey Weinstein was “out silencing women”.
On October 23, at a film premiere in Los Angeles, George Clooney spoke about the need to believe women who speak out about assault.
“Maybe this is the watershed moment, where we believe women, where they feel safe that they can talk about what they’re experiencing,” he said.
George Clooney and Matt Damon join the list of Hollywood stars who have spoken out to condemn Harvey Weinstein.
Lexus is the latest business to distance itself from The Weinstein Company, saying on October 17 that it was evaluating their partnership.
Harvey Weinstein has been accused of rape, assault and harassment, but has “unequivocally denied” any allegations of non-consensual relationships.
Amid the fallout over the scandal, Roy Price, the head of Amazon Studios, also resigned on October 17 over allegations of harassment.
Roy Price took a “leave of absence” on October 12 after Isa Hackett, a producer on the Amazon series The Man in the High Castle, told the Hollywood Reporter he allegedly harassed her in 2015.
Lena Headey, who plays Cersei Lannister on Game of Thrones, has accused Harvey Weinstein of harassment.
According to the Game of Thrones star, Harvey Weinstein was “furious” after she resisted his advances. She made the revelation in a series of Twitter posts.
Lena Headey joins a list of over 40 women who have accused the Hollywood producer of misconduct.
Also on October 17, Harvey Weinstein, 65, resigned from the board of directors of his eponymous film production company.
He has been accused of rape, assault and harassment, but has “unequivocally denied” any allegations of non-consensual relationships.
Despite being fired as chairman of The Weinstein Company studio on October 8, Harvey Weinstein had continued until October 17 to hold a position on the company’s board.
According to Variety magazine, Harvey Weinstein – who has been expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that present the Oscar awards – still owns 22% of his company’s stock.
Amid the fallout over the Weinstein accusations, Roy Price, the head of Amazon Studios, also resigned on October 17 over allegations of harassment.
Roy Price took a “leave of absence” on October 12 after Isa Hackett, a producer on the Amazon series The Man in the High Castle, told the Hollywood Reporter he allegedly harassed her in 2015.
In her Twitter posts, Lena Headey described sharing an elevator with Harvey Weinstein after he had invited her to his room to show her a script.
Image source Wikimedia
The Game of Thrones actress recalled: “The lift was going up and I said to Harvey, <<I’m not interested in anything other than work, please don’t think I got in here with you for any other reason, nothing is going to happen>>.
“I don’t know what possessed me to speak out at that moment, only that I had such a strong sense of don’t come near me.
“He was silent after I spoke, furious.”
“He walked me back to the lift by grabbing and holding tightly to the back of my arm,” she said, adding that she felt “completely powerless”.
After Harvey Weinstein allegedly “whispered” that she should not tell anyone about the encounter, Lena Headey writes: “I got into my car and cried.”
Her story comes as other Hollywood actresses shared their stories of harassment and impropriety in show business.
On October 16, Reese Witherspoon said she had been harassed by an unnamed film director when she was just 16, during a speech to the Elle Women in Hollywood event.
Jennifer Lawrence, who has won a Best Actress Oscar, spoke at the same event and described a casting call where she was made to stand in front of producers who criticized her weight.
DreamWorks film studio chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg meanwhile told a Wall Street Journal conference of Harvey Weinstein: “Make no mistake about it: he is a monster.”
Jeffrey Katzenberg added Harvey Weinstein had been protected by other men around him, who he described as “a pack of wolves”.
Screenwriter Scott Rosenberg also got involved by writing a Facebook post about his early days at Miramax Films.
He wrote the movies Beautiful Girls and Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead at the time Harvey Weinstein’s profile was rising in the film industry.
In his Facebook post, Scott Rosenberg said that while he never heard any rape allegations, he was aware of Harvey Weinstein’s “dreadful” behavior – and said “everybody” else knew, too.
“I was there. And I saw you. And I talked about it with you,” the screenwriter wrote.
“You, the big producers; you, the big directors; you, the big agents; you, the big financiers.
“And you, the big rival studio chiefs; you, the big actors; you, the big actresses; you, the big models.
“You, the big journalists; you, the big screenwriters; you, the big rock stars; you, the big restaurateurs; you, the big politicians.”
Scott Rosenberg said others chose to ignore what was going on because they were enjoying themselves and because women were told it would ruin their careers if they said anything.
At the end of his post, Scott Rosenberg apologized for not doing anything.
“I reaped the rewards and I kept my mouth shut,” he said.
“And for that, once again, I am sorry.”
Lauren Holly has also come forward, sharing her story of harassment, describing an encounter she had with Harvey Weinstein.
The pair arranged a meeting in a hotel, which the Beautiful Girls actress didn’t find “abnormal at all” because she had routinely met producers, writers and directors in their suites.
Lauren Holly described the early stages of the meeting as normal, but said things turned sour when Harvey Weinstein walked into the hotel suite “wearing a hotel bathrobe”.
“He said, <<OK, let’s get to it, this is what we’ve got going on at my company, these are the scripts we have in the pipeline, this is what I think might be right for you>>, and he gestured for me to follow him.”
Lauren Holly recounted that she followed him into the bedroom part of the suite as he continued talking.
Harvey Weinstein then showered and, when he emerged, started to approach her.
Lauren Holly said she started to run away, but that Harvey Weinstein began to threaten her, saying she needed to “keep him as [her] ally” and that it would be a “bad decision” if she left the room.
At that point, Lauren Holly said, she “pushed him and ran”.
Reese Witherspoon has revealed she was assaulted by an unnamed film director when she was 16.
In a speech at an Elle Women in Hollywood event on October 16, the Oscar-winning actress said she felt “true disgust at the director”.
She also said she felt “anger… at the agents and producers who made me feel silence was a condition of my employment”.
Reese Witherspoon said she had suffered multiple other “experiences of harassment and s**ual assault” during her career.
The actress didn’t go into detail about her experiences as a 16-year-old, but added: “I wish I could tell you that that was an isolated incident in my career, but sadly, it wasn’t.”
Reese Witherspoon said she didn’t speak about those experiences “very often”.
However, she went on: “After hearing all the stories these past few days… the things that we’re kind of told to sweep under the rug and not talk about, it’s made me want to speak up and speak up loudly because I felt less alone this week than I’ve ever felt in my entire career.
“And I’ve just spoken to so many actresses and writers, and particularly women who’ve had similar experiences, and many of them have bravely gone public with their stories.
“And that truth is very encouraging to me and to everyone out there in the world because you can only heal by telling the truth.”
Reese Witherspoon said she didn’t sleep before giving her speech because of “the feelings I’ve been having about anxiety, about being honest, the guilt for not speaking up earlier or taking action”.
The actress referred to the fact it had “been a hard week for women in Hollywood” following the Harvey Weinstein allegations.
However, she said she believed there was a new attitude towards harassment, which would address “the abuse of power in this business and every business”.
Reese Witherspoon added: “I feel really, really encouraged that there will be a new normal.”
The board of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has voted to expel Harvey Weinstein following numerous allegations of assault made against him.
The organization behind the Oscars said its board “voted well in excess of the required two-thirds majority” to expel the Hollywood film producer.
The board’s members include Hollywood figures such as Tom Hanks and Whoopi Goldberg.
Harvey Weinstein’s films have received more than 300 Oscar nominations and won 81.
In a statement, the Academy said governors voted to expel Harvey Weinstein “not simply to separate ourselves from someone who does not merit the respect of his colleagues but also to send a message that the era of willful ignorance and shameful complicity in s**ually predatory behavior and workplace harassment in our industry is over”.
They added: “What’s at issue here is a deeply troubling problem that has no place in our society.”
The emergency board meeting followed an avalanche of accusations against Harvey Weinstein by more than two dozen women, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Rose McGowan, who alleges that he raped her in a hotel room.
The NYPD and the UK police are investigating the allegations.
Harvey Weinstein has apologized for some aspects of his behavior but insisted that any contacts he had were consensual, and he denies accusations of harassment, rape and assault.
The 65-year-old’s expulsion comes after Bob Weinstein told the Hollywood Reporter that his “sick and depraved” brother should be “kicked out” of the Academy.
Harvey Weinstein’s expulsion means he will no longer be able to vote for nominees or winners in the Oscars.
Hollywood figures were quick to praise the move but some have called for the Academy to take similar action against other members.
It is only the second time a member has been expelled. Carmine Caridi had his membership revoked in 2004 after he allegedly sent confidential film preview videos to a friend which ended up online.
As the co-founder of Miramax Pictures and the Weinstein Company, Harvey Weinstein produced some of the most celebrated movies, including Pulp Fiction, The English Patient and Shakespeare in Love.
Harvey Weinstein has been thanked dozens of times in Oscar acceptance speeches, and in 2012 Meryl Streep jokingly referred to him as “God” onstage.
As accusations against Harvey Weinstein began to mount in recent days, film industry heavyweights came out to publicly condemn him and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) suspended his membership.
The French government is reportedly considering revoking Harvey Weinstein’s Legion of Honour, France’s highest civilian distinction, and there have been calls from some British politicians for his honorary CBE title to be revoked.
During an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Bob Weinstein called his brother “sick and depraved” and said he had no idea of “the type of predator that he was”.
Bob Weinstein refused to comment on reports that he and the board of Weinstein Company were aware of his brother’s settlements with women during recent contract negotiations, saying only that the board “did not know the extent of my brother’s actions”.
He went on to call Harvey Weinstein’s apology statement “utter insanity” and a “lame excuse”.
“I’ll tell you what I did know,” he said.
“Harvey was a bully, Harvey was arrogant…that I knew.”
Earlier, Bob Weinstein denied media reports that the Weinstein Company – which has placed Harvey Weinstein on indefinite leave – could now be closed or sold.
However, several large film projects have been pulled from the company already, and reports in the Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal said that financers had begun to pressure the board to sell.
Bob Weinstein has denied media reports that the film production company he and his brother Harvey co-founded could be closed or sold.
He said in a statement: “Our banks, partners and shareholders are fully supportive of our company.
“Business is continuing as usual.”
On October 8, the company fired Harvey Weinstein amid a slew of harassment allegations.
The claims have prompted police investigations in both the US and UK.
On October 13, the scandal surrounding Harvey Weinstein – who produced movies including Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – deepened when he was accused of rape by Rose McGowan.
The Hollywood producer was already facing claims of rape, assault, groping and harassment.
Harvey Weinstein, who is believed to be in Europe seeking therapy, has insisted through a spokeswoman that any contacts he had were consensual.
According to recent reports, since the avalanche of claims began, the company has been trying to disassociate itself from its co-founder and save the business with efforts made to buy Harvey Weinstein out, rebrand and keep creative partners on board.
However, the Los Angeles Times said that financers had begun to pressure the company to sell and potential buyers were circling.
The Wall Street Journal also reported the company was “exploring a sale or shutdown” and was “unlikely to continue as an independent entity”.
The company is thought to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars but before the recent allegations had already faced questions about its future prospects amid increasing competition from media streaming services.
On October 13, Goldman Sachs said it was investigating options to sell the small stake it holds, citing the reported “inexcusable behavior”.
Rose McGowan has publicly accused Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of raping her.
In a series of tweets, the actress also accused Amazon Studio chief Roy Price of having ignored her when she made the allegation earlier.
Amazon has put Roy Price – himself accused on October 12 of harassing a female producer – on leave of absence.
Harvey Weinstein, 65, denies any assaults. There was no comment from Roy Price.
Meanwhile, the NYPD and UK police have launched investigations into assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein. The NYPD is looking into an allegation dating from 2004 and reviewing whether there are any additional complaints. London’s Met Police has received an allegation of assault in the London area in the 1980s.
Addressing Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Twitter, Rose McGowan – who has appeared in Scream, The Black Dahlia and TV series Charmed – criticized the company for doing business with Harvey Weinstein.
“I told the head of your studio that HW raped me,” the actress tweeted.
“Over & over I said it. He said it hadn’t been proven. I said I was the proof.”
Twitter briefly suspended McGowan for violating its terms and policies after she included a personal phone number in tweets about abuse allegations.
Some prominent figures, notably from the entertainment world, said they would boycott the platform on October 13 in protest, using the hashtag #WomenBoycottTwitter.
Roy Price was separately accused by Isa Hackett, a producer of one of Amazon’s shows, of inappropriate behavior in a taxi and at a corporate dinner in 2015, the Hollywood Reporter writes.
Isa Hackett reported the incident to Amazon executives immediately, she was quoted as saying, and an outside investigator was brought in.
She was not told the outcome of the investigation but did not see Roy Price again at any events involving her shows, she added.
In a statement, Amazon said: “Roy Price is on leave of absence effective immediately. We are reviewing our options for the projects we have with The Weinstein Co.”
Three women earlier accused Harvey Weinstein of rape in an investigative article in The New Yorker magazine.
They are Italian actress and director Asia Argento, former aspiring actress Lucia Evans and a third woman who was anonymous.
The same article says 10 other women told the author that Harvey Weinstein had either harassed or assaulted them between the 1990s and 2015.
The New York Times broke the story on October 5, when it detailed decades of allegations of l harassment against Harvey Weinstein.
The producer has insisted through a spokeswoman that any contacts he had were consensual.
Director Oliver Stone has said he believes that Harvey Weinstein should not be judged prematurely.
“If he broke the law it will come out,” he told reporters on a visit to South Korea for a film festival.
“I believe that a man shouldn’t be condemned by a vigilante system.”
In a subsequent social media post, however, Oliver Stone expressed a wish to “recuse” himself from a TV series about Guantanamo Bay “as long as The Weinstein Company is involved”.
Oliver Stone wrote on Facebook that he was “appalled” by the allegations made against Harvey Weinstein and “commend[ed] the courage of the women who’ve stepped forward”.
Matt Damon has denied trying to “kill” a story about Harvey Weinstein’s behavior when it was investigated by journalist Sharon Waxman thirteen years ago.
Sharon Waxman has said she looked into rumors that an employee of Harvey Weinstein in Italy was procuring women for him.
The journalist said Matt Damon and Russell Crowe called her to vouch for the employee.
However, Matt Damon has said he did not know the detail of the allegations.
“I would never, ever, ever try to kill a story like that,” the actor told Deadline.
“I just wouldn’t do that. It’s not something I would do, for anybody.”
Sharon Waxman, who then worked for the New York Times, was ultimately unable to publish any allegations relating to Harvey Weinstein’s behavior.
Matt Damon said Harvey Weinstein told him the New York Times story would be claiming the Italian executive “had no professional experience”. He said the producer asked him to “tell her that he was a professional and you had a good experience, and that was it”.
He said: “I was never conscripted to do anything. We vouch for each other, all the time.”
The actor added: “I’m sure I mentioned to her that I didn’t know anything about the rest of her piece, because I didn’t.”
Matt Damon said that he had never seen inappropriate behavior during time spent making films with Harvey Weinstein.
“I think a lot of actors have come out and said, <<everybody’s saying we all knew>>. That’s not true,” the actor said.
“This type of predation happens behind closed doors, and out of public view. If there was ever an event that I was at and Harvey was doing this kind of thing and I didn’t see it, then I am so deeply sorry, because I would have stopped it.”
Russell Crowe hasn’t commented.
Sharon Waxman claimed the 2004 New York Times story was “gutted” after “intense pressure” from Harvey Weinstein. The paper went on to break the story of the latest allegations at the weekend.
The New York Times’ executive editor Dean Baquet, who wasn’t working for the paper in 2004, said: “It is unimaginable to me that The Times killed a story because of pressure from Harvey Weinstein, who was and is an advertiser.”
Harvey Weinstein’s wife, Georgina Chapman, says she is leaving the Hollywood producer following allegations of harassment against him from a string of actresses.
Georgina Chapman, 41, said Harvey Weinstein’s actions were “unforgivable”.
Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow are the latest actresses to come forward with accusations of harassment. Both said the incidents happened early in their careers.
On October 10, Harvey Weinstein also denied allegations of rape made in The New Yorker magazine.
On October 8, Harvey Weinstein was fired from his own film studio. The Weinstein Company board said on October 10 that they would help any criminal investigation.
Georgina Chapman told People magazine: “My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions.”
The London-born designer and Harvey Weinstein, 65, have two children together.
Meanwhile former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle have joined the growing public condemnation.
In a statement the Obamas said they were “disgusted by the recent reports about Harvey Weinstein” and added that they “celebrate the courage of women who have come forward”.
Harvey Weinstein was a big donor to the Democratic Party under Barack Obama’s leadership. The Obamas’ eldest daughter Malia worked as an intern at The Weinstein Company in New York earlier this year.
Harvey Weinstein also donated to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. Hilalry Clinton said she was “shocked and appalled” by the revelations.
Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow both sent statements about Harvey Weinstein’s behavior to the New York Times, which first reported allegations against him last week.
Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow are the latest actresses to allege they were victims of harassment by Harvey Weinstein.
Both actresses said the incidents happened early in their careers.
Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow join a string of actresses accusing the Hollywood producer of harassment.
On October 10, the producer denied allegations of rape made in The New Yorker magazine.
His wife, designer Georgina Chapman, said on the same day that she was leaving him.
Georgina Chapman, 41, told People magazine: “My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions.”
London-born Georgina Chapman, co-founder of fashion label Marchesa, and Harvey Weinstein, 65, have two children together.
The mogul has also been fired over the allegations by his Hollywood studio The Weinstein Company.
Former President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle have added their voice to growing demonstrations of public outrage. Their eldest daughter Malia worked as an intern at The Weinstein Company in New York earlier this year.
A statement released by the Obamas says they “have been disgusted by the recent reports about Harvey Weinstein”.
It adds they “celebrate the courage of women who have come forward”.
Also on October 10, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie both sent statements to the New York Times, which first reported allegations against him last week.
Angelina Jolie said in an email: “I had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth, and as a result, chose never to work with him again and warn others when they did.
“This behavior towards women in any field, any country is unacceptable.”
In a statement, Gwyneth Paltrow alleged that, after Harvey Weinstein cast her in the leading role in Emma, he summoned her to his hotel suite, where he placed his hands on her and suggested massages in his bedroom.
“I was a kid, I was signed up, I was petrified,” the actress told the NYT.
Gwyneth Paltrow said she told her then-boyfriend Brad Pitt about the incident, and said he confronted Harvey Weinstein.
“I thought he was going to fire me,” she said.
The separate New Yorker report says that 16 former and current employees at Harvey Weinstein’s companies told the magazine “they witnessed or had knowledge of unwanted advances and touching at events associated with Weinstein’s films and in the workplace”.
The magazine quotes actress and director Asia Argento and Lucia Stoller, now Lucia Evans – who says she was an aspiring actress when Harvey Weinstein allegedly approached her in 2004. Both say they were forced into s**ual acts by the producer.
A third woman, who did not want to be named, said Harvey Weinstein had “forced himself on me s**ually”.
Asia Argento said she has not spoken until now because she feared it would ruin her career to do so.
“That’s why this story – in my case, it’s 20 years old, some of them are old – has never come out,” she told the New Yorker.
Other allegations in the piece came from Mira Sorvino, who won an Oscar in 1996 for her role in Mighty Aphrodite for Miramax, a studio headed by Harvey Weinstein at the time. She told the magazine that Harvey Weinstein had tried to pressure her into a relationship.
Roseanna Arquette also said that she rejected Harvey Weinstein’s advances and that she believes her acting career suffered as a result.
Harvey Weinstein’s spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister issued a statement in response to the article.
“Any allegations of non-consensual s** are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein,” she said.
“Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.
“Mr. Weinstein obviously can’t speak to anonymous allegations, but with respect to any women who have made allegations on the record, Mr. Weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual. Mr. Weinstein has begun counseling, has listened to the community and is pursuing a better path.”
Former Secretary of State and presidential candidate Hillary Clinton shared a statement saying that she was “shocked and appalled” by the revelations about Harvey Weinstein, who donated to her 2016 presidential campaign and has been a major donor to the Democratic Party.
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