Judge rejects tentative $19M Weinstein deal with accusers
FILE - Harvey Weinstein arrives at a Manhattan courthouse for his rape trial, Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, in New York. A jury convicted the Hollywood mogul of rape and sexual assault. The jury found him not guilty of the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault, which could have resulted in a life sentence.[AP/ John Minchillo]
A $19 million settlement between Harvey Weinstein and some of his accusers was rejected Tuesday by a judge.
U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Heellerstein in Manhattan said Weinstein’s accusers in the proposed class-action settlement were too varied to be grouped together.
Lawyers for several women who had opposed the deal praised what they described as Hellerstein’s swift rejection of a one-sided proposal.
A spokesman for Weinstein did not immediately comment. A lawyer for his companies declined comment.
Harvey Weinstein found guilty in landmark #MeToo moment
A spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James, who announced the tentative agreement on June 30, said her office is reviewing the decision and determining its next steps. “Our office has been fighting tirelessly to provide these brave women with the justice they are owed and will continue to do so,” Morgan Rubin said in a written statement.
The deal to settle lawsuits brought by James and a Chicago lawyer on behalf of multiple women would have provided between $7,500 and $750,000 to some women who accused Weinstein of sexually abusing them.
The 68-year-old former Hollywood producer was convicted earlier this year of rape and sexual assault against two women. Accusations by dozens of women in 2017 led to the downfall of his career and gave rise to #MeToo, the global movement to hold powerful men accountable for their sexual misconduct.
Weinstein was diagnosed in March with the coronavirus just days after he was moved to the state’s maximum security Wende Correctional Facility near Buffalo to begin serving his 23-year prison sentence.