Scandal-hit Ratner roams Miami
ACCUSED sexual harasser Brett Ratner continued to live it up in Miami Beach, Fla., over New Year’s at his billionaire business partner Sir
Len Blavatnik’s five-star Faena Hotel. Hollywood director and producer Ratner, who stands accused of sexual harassment and assault by at least six women, including Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, was spotted dining at the restaurant of the luxe hotel and relaxing in a cabana by the pool over the New Year’s holiday.
Ratner has been hanging with pals such as film producer Avi Lerner (who has also denied his own sexual-harassment allegations) and was seen poolside at Faena getting advice from ad exec and TV personality Donny Deutsch about how to emerge from his harassment scandal. Deutsch, however, insists they merely talked for minutes and that he advised Ratner to use his filmmaking skills to “do some good and help.”
Ratner was out and about as it was alleged he was targeting one of his accusers — Melanie
Kohler, who claimed on Facebook he raped her about 12 years ago — with a defamation suit in an effort to “silence and intimidate” other women from coming forward.
Ratner’s attorney, Marty Singer, told Page Six, “Brett is from Miami, and he’s staying with his family and friends. He wasn’t partying with Avi Lerner and Donny Deutsch — he is going to dinner with friends. He has a right to have a life and go to private dinners. Brett has no reason to hide.”
Singer added of Kohler’s request to a federal judge to dismiss Ratner’s defamation suit against her: “We are confident we will prevail in that lawsuit. He has not been accused of any criminal conduct.” Singer has “categorically” denied all the sexual allegations against Ratner.
Ratner stepped away from dealings between his film company, RatPac Entertainment, and movie studio Warner Bros. since the allegations came to light. But he remains business partners with Blavatnik — who was recently knighted by Britain’s Queen Elizabeth — in the venture.
Reps for Blavatnik declined to comment, and Lerner didn’t get back to us.