Harvey Weinstein Settles Sexual Assault Civil Suits in Tentative $44M Deal: Reports

Harvey Weinstein is still facing a pending criminal case in Manhattan

Harvey Weinstein has reached a tentative $44 million agreement that would see him compensate women who have sued him for alleged sexual misconduct and board members of his former movie company while settling a pending civil-rights lawsuit by the New York State Attorney General’s Office, according to multiple reports.

Sources familiar with the matter, all of whom spoke on a condition of anonymity, told The Wall Street Journal that the deal has yet to be finalized but was announced in bankruptcy court in Delaware after a year of mediation sessions. The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times confirmed that report with their own sources.

The civil settlement does not impact the criminal case against Weinstein, in which he is charged with rape and other sex crimes against two women. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to those charges and his trial is set for September 9.The settlement, the outlets report, would call for $30 million to be paid to a wide pool of plaintiffs — who include Weinstein’s sexual misconduct accusers, his former employees, and creditors for his now defunct studio — as well as all of the legal fees associated with those plaintiffs. The remaining $14 would then be divided to cover the legal fees for Weinstein associates, many who are board members named as defendants in the lawsuits.

Funding to pay the $44 million would come from insurance polices, according to the reports.

Reps for Weinstein, the New York attorney general’s office, and a lawyer for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The lawsuits were filed by women in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, all of whom claim that Weinstein sexually abused them and that associates on his company’s board helped facilitate the mistreatment, The Wall Street Journal reports. Weinstein is named as a defendant alongside 14 others. They have all previously denied the claims.

If finalized, the deal would also settle a civil-rights lawsuit the New York attorney general’s office filed last year that blames the Weinstein Company’s executives and board for not protecting employees from a hostile working environment, sources told The Wall Street Journal.

Harvey Weinstein on rape trial, New York, USA - 05 Jun 2018
STEVEN HIRSCH/POOL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

More than 100 other women, including actresses Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Ashley Judd, have come forward with allegations against Weinstein since investigations by The New York Times and The New Yorker were published in October 2017.

Weinstein has previously denied all allegations of sexual misconduct and assault against him, claiming the relationships were consensual.

In the wake of the reports, Weinstein’s studio — which he founded with his brother and business partner, Bob — filed for bankruptcy in March 2018. He and his wife, Georgina Chapman, also divorced.

Prior to his criminal trial, Weinstein is free on a $1 million bail with GPS monitoring, according to the Los Angeles Times.

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