US lawmaker calls for ban on secret settlements for sexual harassment

A California lawmaker said she will introduce legislation to ban secret settlements in sexual harassment cases, taking aim at a practice that for decades prevented the surfacing of harassment and sexual assault allegations against disgraced studio mogul Harvey Weinstein.

State Senator Connie Leyva told Variety she will introduce legislation early next year that prohibits the type of settlements Weinstein paid women that required them to sign nondisclosure agreements.

“We really need to remove the curtain of secrecy about what’s happening,” Levya said in an interview.

“Ultimately that’s what hurts victims and enables perpetrators to continue to do this and remain hidden.”

The firstterm state senator’s effort is in response to investigative reports published by The New York Times and the New Yorker outlining how Weinstein paid out at least eight settlements to women he had harassed or assaulted.

Similarly, ousted Fox News anchor Bill O’Reilly, settled allegations of sexual misconduct with five women for US$13mil (RM54.9mil), according to a New York Times investigation.

The agreements required confidentiality by the women who received the payouts.

Because of the secret settlements, perpetrators are largely free to commit the same offences again and again, Levya said.

Her legislation would require such settlements to be made public.

Across the country, women and allies are calling for cultural and policy changes that they hope will empower more victims of sexual harassment and assault to report such incidents. In Hollywood, executives and others have begun forming committees to recommend poli cy changes and other safeguards.

Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm president, called for the creation of a commission to combat the problem, and the Producers Guild of America has formed its own task force to research and propose solutions.

Levya, a firstterm senator, succeeded last year in eliminating the statute of limitations on rape. The law applies to crimes committed after Jan 1, 2017. — Reuters