Hollywood exec accused of abuse
LOS ANGELES — Harvey Weinstein, the larger-thanlife Hollywood executive and Oscar-winner, is taking a leave of absence from his own company after an explosive expose revealing decades of sexual harassment against women, from employees to actress Ashley
Judd, was published in The New York Times on Thursday.
The article includes firstperson accounts of Weinstein’s alleged misconduct, including from Judd, who recounts an incident from two decades ago in which she said she was asked to meet Weinstein in his hotel room. Weinstein greeted her wearing a bathrobe and asked if he could give her a massage or if she would watch him shower, the paper reported.
“Women have been talking about Harvey amongst ourselves for a long time, and it’s simply beyond time to have the conversation publicly,” Judd told the Times.
Two unnamed company officials told the Times that at least eight women have received settlements from Weinstein over the years, including actress Rose McGowan, who allegedly had an incident with him in 1997, when she was 23.
Weinstein’s attorney Charles J. Harder said in a statement that the story is “saturated with false and defamatory statements.”
“We sent the Times the facts and evidence, but they ignored it and rushed to publish,” Harder said.