Weinstein ‘hired helpers to organise sex life’
● Producer’s chauffeurs had to keep condoms in car at all times, lawsuit claims
Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein hired women to organise his sexual conquests, threatened employees that he could kill their families and required his chauffeurs to keep condoms and erectile dysfunction injections in the car at all times, according to allegations made in a lawsuit filed by New York’s Attorney General.
The court papers, which were lodged on Sunday, follow a four-month investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of the disgraced movie mogul, who is known for films including Pulp Fiction.
Dozens of women, including some well-known Hollywood names, have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of the producer.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman launched a civil rights probe into the New York City-based company in October after US media exposed allegations of sexual assault and harassment spanning decades.
Thelawsuit,whichdescribed Weinstein’s “unrelenting sexual harassment, intimida- tion, and discrimination”, also accused The Weinstein Company of failing to stop the abuse. Weinstein was fired by the film company he founded with his brother Robert and expelled from Hollywood’s movie academy.
“As alleged in our complaint, The Weinstein Company repeatedly broke New York law by failing to protect its employees from pervasive sexual harassment, intimidation, and discrimination,” Mr Schneiderman said.
In the lawsuit, it is claimed that groups of women were hired by Weinstein to act as his assistants, which included contacting “friends of Harvey” and other prospective sexual partners via text message or phone at his direction and maintaining space on 0 Harvey Weinstein faces sexual misconduct allegations his calendar for sexual activity. Meanwhile, his assistants were forced to schedule “personals” in their calendar, both for sexual activity both during the workday and after work.
Upon arranging a “personal,” assistants were required to clear or adjust any and all other scheduled plans which potentially conflicted with the “personal”, the papers claimed.
Schneiderman’s investigation, which included interviews with multiple company employees, executives, survivors of Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct and an exhaustive review of company records and emails, found that employees were subjected to various verbal threats from Weinstein such as “I will kill you, I will kill your family, and “you don’t know what I can do,” while drivers were expected to be prepared for Weinstein’s sex life.
The court papers said: “HW’S drivers in both New York City andlosangeleswererequired to keep condoms and erectile dysfunction injections in the car at all times, in order to provide them to HW as needed.”
High-profile names who have said they have been sexually harassed or assaulted by Weinstein include British actress Lysette Anthony and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Representatives for Weinstein have previously denied all accusations of non-consensual sex.
The lawsuit also seeks to attach conditions to any possible sale of the company.
“Any sale of The Weinstein Company must ensure that victims will be compensated, employees will be protected going forward, and that neither perpetrators nor enablers will be unjustly enriched,” Mr Schneiderman said.