Lawyers for some women say the settlement amount is far too small for the scale of Weinstein's crimes.
Harvey Weinstein has reached an agreement of $ 19 million with dozens of women accusing the shameful filmmaker of sexual misconduct.
According to CBS News, the preliminary settlement was announced on Tuesday by New York Attorney General Letitia James and Chicago-based lawyer Elizabeth A. Fagan. Overall, Weinstein and the board of his former studio would pay approximately $ 18.8 million, with billing scaled according to impact. Individual payments would range from $ 7,500 to $ 750,000.
"After all the harassment, threats and discrimination, these survivors are finally getting an appearance of justice," said James in a statement. "Women who have been forced to sign confidentiality agreements are also exempt from these clauses and can finally speak."
Allegations against Weinstein, according to CBS, emerged in 2017. Numerous celebrities on the A list accused Weinstein of having sexually or sexually abused her in exchange for high-profile roles.
Weinstein threatened women, especially those who were just beginning their careers as actresses or models and who did not meet his demands with professional ruin.
Salma Hayek – who was not involved in any class action lawsuit – said she repeatedly refused Weinstein's progress. The producer had reportedly asked Hayek for various sexual favors, from showering with him to permission to have oral sex with her.
While well-established to reject Weinstein, Hayek was still trying to take revenge by interfering in her production of the Frida biography film. Hayek, who wrote in another New York Times article, said Weinstein had finally forced her to do a nude scene she didn't want to play.
Numerous Hollywood actresses, including Salma Hayek (pictured), have accused Weinstein of using his power in the film industry to enforce sexual favors. Hayek claims she was forced to take part in a nude scene in the film "Frida" after she refused Weinstein's progress. Image via Festival Internacional de Cine and Guadalajara via Wikimedia Commons. (CCA-BY-2.0).
Many of the other victims of Weinstein, who were not mentioned in the class action lawsuit, reported similarly enforced misconduct. But for actresses who had just started their careers, Weinstein's promise of rewards – and threats of retaliation – were unmistakable.
The eventual backlash against Weinstein led to the #MeToo movement, in which women from all walks of life told stories about ongoing sexual assault, harassment and misconduct on social media.
Caitlan Dulany, one of the plaintiffs mentioned, told James' office that it was important to hold Weinstein accountable.
"We have had a long and exhausting fight in the courtroom," said Dulany. "Harvey has avoided accountability for decades, and it has been a powerful moment for us to band together and demand justice."
However, lawyers from other Weinstein victims say the settlement amount is absurdly small given the scale of Weinstein's crimes.
"We are amazed that the Attorney General is winning a round for this unfair and unjust proposal, and we will be raising vigorous objections in court on behalf of our clients," said lawyers Douglas H. Wigdor and Kevin Mintzer.
"The proposed deal is a complete sell-out of the Weinstein survivors, and we are surprised that the Attorney General can boast of a proposal that fails on so many different levels," they added. "Although we do not disapprove of a survivor who really wants to participate in the deal, we understand that the proposed agreement is profoundly unfair for many reasons."
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