World News
Women claim Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted them -report
NEW YORK, (Reuters) - The New Yorker reported yesterday that 13 women have claimed that movie producer Harvey Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them, including three who told the magazine they had been raped.
Weinstein’s spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister was quoted in the article saying, “Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein.”
Weinstein and the women for whom contact information was available did not reply to Reuters requests for comment. Reuters was unable to independently confirm any of the claims.
“Mr. Weinstein obviously can’t speak to anonymous allegations, but with respect to any women who have made allegations on the record, Mr. Weinstein believes that all of these relationships were consensual,” Hofmeister was quoted as saying.
Weinstein’s wife of 10 years, Marchesa label fashion designer Georgina Chapman, said late on Tuesday that she was leaving him, according to a report in People magazine.
“My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions. I have chosen to leave my husband,” Chapman was quoted as saying.
Her representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
The New York City Police Department and Manhattan District Attorney’s office said in separate statements on Tuesday that Weinstein was investigated in 2015 over an allegation that he sexually abused one of the women, who was named in the article. The district attorney’s office said there was insufficient evidence to charge him.
Separately, the New York Times reported on Tuesday that actress Gwyneth Paltrow said she was sexually harassed by Weinstein more than 20 years ago and that Angelina Jolie said she “had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth and as a result chose never to work with him again.”
Jolie and Paltrow did not reply to requests for comment.
The New Yorker reported that Italian actress Ambra Battilana Gutierrez went to police in 2015 claiming that Weinstein had sexually assaulted her.