Bankruptcy could bring new Weinstein accusers

LOS ANGELES — Is #MeToo part two on the way?

With its bankruptcy, the Weinstein Co. has tossed out the nondisclosure agreements that officials say its co-founder and former CEO Harvey Weinstein wielded as a weapon in his sexual predation, bringing with it the possibility of a whole new wave of victims coming forward.

Bankruptcy filings are normally shrouded in the jargon of finance, but on this point the movie and TV studio was clear:

“Since October, it has been reported that Harvey Weinstein used nondisclosure agreements as a secret weapon to silence his accusers,” a Weinstein Co. statement said. “Effective immediately, those ‘agreements’ end. No one should be afraid to speak out or coerced to stay quiet.”

The rare move from a major business is likely to send new witnesses and victims to media outlets and investigators, which put out fresh calls Tuesday for their stories.

It’s unlikely, however, to spur a new surge in high-profile actresses coming forward, as Rose McGowan, Ashley Judd, Salma Hayek and many others have in recent months.

That’s because the Weinstein Co. only has the power to end agreements made by the company not Weinstein himself, meaning its effect will be primarily on current and former employees.

Cris Armenta, a lawyer representing accusers in a proposed class-action lawsuit against the Weinstein Co., said she fears that because so many of the agreements are with Weinstein himself and still apply, the impact may not be major.

“What are they actually releasing, and is it just window dressing?” Armenta said Tuesday.

Armenta also worries that as creditors line up in front of those who have sued the company to get paid in bankruptcy, it could be “leaving the plaintiffs with nothing to hold on to.”

Still, there is a large pool of people, many of them less powerful, lower-level employees with more to fear, who may now break their silence over what happened to them or what they saw.