Las Vegas Review-Journal

Weinstein taoes leave Aier e0posé

Paper reports decades of sexual harassment

- By Lindsey Bahr The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Harvey Weinstein, the larger-than-life Hollywood executive and Oscar-winner, is taking a leave of absence from his own company after an explosive exposé revealing decades of sexual harassment against women, from employees to actress Ashley Judd, was published in The New York Times Thursday.

The article includes first-person accounts of Weinstein’s alleged conduct, 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 her if she would give him a massage or 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 tell 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.

Other stories include similar accounts of Weinstein coercing young women into giving him massages, while naked, or watching him shower, and promising career advancemen­t in return. These incidents were all said to have happened in hotel rooms.

Weinstein’s attorney Charles J. Harder said in a statement that the story is “saturated with false and defamatory statements about Harvey Weinstein.”

“We sent the Times the facts and evidence, but they ignored it and rushed to publish,” Harder said. He did not respond to questions about what specific allegation­s Weinstein was contesting.

“We are confident in the accuracy of our reporting,” said a New York Times spokespers­on in a statement. “Mr. Weinstein was aware and able to respond to specific allegation­s in our story before publicatio­n. In fact, we published his response in full.”

Requests for comment from The Weinstein Co. and Judd were not immediatel­y returned.

Weinstein, 65, had a powerful perch in Hollywood for three decades, and was known for producing films like “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespear­e in Love,” for which he won an Oscar.

He has also launched the careers of numerous actresses and directors and executed extremely successful Oscar campaigns with his company Miramax, which he ran with his brother Bob Weinstein. He is also an executive producer of the hit reality series “Project Runway.”

In 2005, the Weinstein brothers launched a new production company, The Weinstein Co. Known for his angry outbursts, his often aggressive tactics were chronicled in the Peter Biskind book “Down and Dirty Pictures.”

He also executive produced five best picture winners, including “The English Patient,” ”Chicago,” ”The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” ”The King’s Speech,” and “The Artist,” and garnered many nomination­s for his films and actors.

 ?? By Jordan Strauss ?? The Associated Press Harvey Weinstein arrives at the Oscars in 2014 in Los Angeles. Weinstein is taking a leave of absence from his company after a report alleged decades of sexual harassment against women, including employees and actress Ashley Judd.
By Jordan Strauss The Associated Press Harvey Weinstein arrives at the Oscars in 2014 in Los Angeles. Weinstein is taking a leave of absence from his company after a report alleged decades of sexual harassment against women, including employees and actress Ashley Judd.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States