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Harvey Weinstein was greeted by a throng of news media when he surrendered May 25 at a lower Manhattan police station on two felony counts of rape and a third felony charge for a criminal sex act. But legal observers noticed what didn’t greet the once-powerful movie mogul: After a seven-month investigation, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance did not have an indictment prepared, which experts say is quite remarkable and perhaps suggests that the DA was feeling pressure from news leaked less than 24 hours earlier — that federal prosecutors were eyeing their own Weinstein case. After all, Vance already had endured criticism for not bringing charges against Weinstein in 2015 despite a damning audio recording of him with model Ambra Battilana Gutierrez. To be usurped by the feds would…
Rose McGowan “I, and so many of Harvey Weinstein’s survivors, had given up hope that our rapist would be held accountable by law. Twenty years ago, I swore that I would right this wrong. Today we are one step closer to justice.” Heather Graham “It’s about time: Harvey Weinstein turned himself in this morning. Today, instead of focusing on him, I will be celebrating all of the powerful women out there.” Sean Young “That’s one down and three to go. I know of at least three abusive men out in Hollywood who are still out there living their successful lives, who I wouldn’t dream of outing for fear of losing my life.” Sarah Ann Masse “Harvey must pay for his heinous crimes. Those who surrounded him, supported him, were complicit…
Oct. 5 The New York Times publishes an investigation with testimony from actresses like Ashley Judd, alleging Harvey Weinstein is guilty of three decades of sexual harassment, during which he’s reached confidential settlements with at least eight women, including Rose McGowan. Weinstein, saying he’s taking a leave of absence from The Weinstein Co., tells the Times, “I sincerely apologize,” but later that day, he threatens to sue the paper, telling the New York Post he is the victim of “reckless reporting.” Oct. 8 The Weinstein Co.’s board of directors fires Weinstein from the co-presidency he shares with brother Bob. Oct. 10 The New Yorker publishes its own investigation, with allegations from 13 more women — three of whom, including actress-director Asia Argento, accuse Weinstein of rape. Through a spokeswoman, Weinstein…
The Other Cases Now that Harvey Weinstein’s freedom is at stake in a criminal case, the embattled movie mogul could soon attempt to bring civil litigation against him to a halt. Weinstein currently is facing more than a dozen lawsuits. Among them: New York state is suing him over an alleged pattern of sexual discrimination and harassment; actress Ashley Judd asserts that her career was tarnished after she rejected his sexual requests and Weinstein bad-mouthed her to The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson; Alexandra Canosa, a producer on the Netflix series Marco Polo, has filed suit, charging Weinstein repeatedly raped her; an attempted class-action initiated by six women accuses him of wide-ranging sexual misconduct; and actress Kadian Noble alleges his behavior runs afoul of statutes prohibiting sex trafficking.…
Benjamin Brafman Attorney Brafman, a Brooklyn native, has represented such high-profile clients as Michael Jackson, former director of the International Monetary Fund Dominique Strauss-Kahn (also accused of sexual assault) and Sean “P. Diddy” Combs. Combs was acquitted in 1999 of illegal weapons and bribery charges. At the time, the Combs case appeared insurmountable for the defense given that there were more than 100 witnesses on hand at the New York nightclub where Combs was involved in a brawl. Herman Weisberg The man trailing Weinstein at his arrest May 25 was private detective Weisberg. A 20-year veteran of the NYPD, he now is the managing director of Sage Intelligence and, according to a source close to The Weinstein Co., has been doing “a lot of Harvey’s dirty work” for years. Dubbed…
Disney’s line in the sand is now clear. Roseanne Barr, whose offensive tweets have dogged her hit ABC sitcom since its revival, saw her series canceled May 29, the same day she compared former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett to an ape. A departure from the prior silence toward the 65-year-old comedian’s controversial social media vitriol, Disney’s response was damning. “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values,” said ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey, with Disney CEO Bob Iger chiming in: “There was only one thing to do here.” Saying goodbye to Roseanne will have financial consequences. The revival outranked every series on TV this season with an average 6.4 rating among adults 18-to-49 and 22.1 million viewers. Barr, also dropped by ICM Partners, was the focal point…
