Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein reaches tentative US$25 million settlement with accusers
- The cash will be shared among more than 30 actresses and former employees who have sued the 67-year-old producer
- The deal does not cover a criminal case against Weinstein, which is set to go to trial in January in New York
Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has reached a US$25 million settlement with dozens of his alleged sexual misconduct victims.
The proposed settlement would not require Weinstein, the embattled movie mogul whose alleged behaviour propelled the #MeToo movement, to admit fault or personally pay the accusers.
If the deal, which was first reported Wednesday by The New York Times, moves forward, it must be formally approved by a US Bankruptcy Court judge in Delaware.
The payout for the accusers who choose to participate would come from insurance companies representing the Weinstein Co. as part of bankruptcy proceedings resulting in an overall US$47 million settlement.
Of this, more than US$12 million would be paid to cover a portion of the legal costs of Weinstein and his associates.
Caitlin Dulany, an actress who alleged that Weinstein sexually assaulted and harassed her in the 1990s, said that even though the tentative settlement wasn’t “perfect”, she hoped it might help set a precedent for victims of sexual assault “going up against predators and the companies they work for”.