Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and his studio’s board are poised to settle with several of his alleged sexual misconduct victims for a cumulative $25 million — but won’t admit to any wrongdoing, a report said Wednesday.
The tentative eight-figure deal would settle the suits of more than 30 actresses and former employees who have accused Weinstein of misdeeds ranging from sexual harassment to rape, according to the New York Times, which cited several lawyers involved in the talks.
The deal would still require approval in Manhattan federal court, as well as from the dozens of parties involved.
Under the terms of the deal, Weinstein — who is facing a related criminal case in Manhattan, set to kick off in January — would not acknowledge any wrongdoing, and the funds would not be paid out of his own pocket, but rather by insurance companies backing The Weinstein Company, the report said.
The hefty figure would be part of a larger, $47 million settlement to clean the slate of the bankrupt Weinstein Company, according to the report.
More than $12 million would help defray legal costs for Weinstein and others, including his brother, Bob, the report added.
Beginning in 2017, a flood of sexual misconduct claims against Weinstein helped catalyze the #MeToo movement — with many women filing suits against the movie mogul.
Weinstein’s accusers have included some of the most prominent actresses in Hollywood, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Salma Hayek, though those three stars have declined to join the legal proceedings.
Among the accusers reportedly set to take the settlement are actress Katherine Kendall, model Zoe Brock and Weinstein assistant Sandeep Rehal.
Some of those opting to settle said that they are making the best of the situation, with prospects for further legal recourse slim.
“Many of us are outside the statute of limitations, and we can’t have our day in criminal court with Harvey,” one of Weinstein’s accusers, Caitlin Dulany, 56, told the Times.
She said she hopes a settlement would “bring some justice and relief.”
But other accusers, including actresses Ashley Judd and Wedil David, are still pursuing their cases.
“We reject the notion that this was the best settlement that could have been achieved on behalf of the victims,” said lawyers Douglas Wigdor and Kevin Mintzer, who are representing David and a second accuser, who has filed as a Jane Doe.
“It is shameful that $12 million of the settlement is going to the lawyers for the directors who we allege enabled Harvey Weinstein and it is even more outrageous that the proposed settlement will seek to bind non-participating members by providing a release to the insurance companies and the directors of the Weinstein Company itself,” the pair added.
Messages left seeking comment from Weinstein and his legal team were not immediately returned.
