Some of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers are not satisfied with a proposed $30 million settlement of their harassment claims, and may not agree to the deal, Variety has learned.
Attorneys in the Weinstein Co. bankruptcy case told Judge Mary Walrath on Thursday that they are close to a global resolution of the civil litigation. The accusers, their lawyers and various trade creditors of the Weinstein Co. would get $30 million, while another $14 million would go to attorneys for the Weinstein Co. board members, who were defendants in several of the lawsuits. The amounts — first reported by the Wall Street Journal and confirmed by Variety — would be paid by the company’s insurers.
In a tweet on Friday, actress Ashley Judd said her lawsuit is not part of the agreement.
Judd has accused Weinstein of blacklisting her after she refused a sexual advance. Her case was never part of the settlement discussions, so the fact that her case is going forward does not threaten the deal.
However, Variety has learned that other plaintiffs who were part of the negotiations are balking at the proposed settlement amount. That could undercut the entire deal, if the Weinstein Co. insurers are unwilling to reach a resolution that carves out some of the lawsuits and leaves them exposed to further liability.
In bankruptcy court on Thursday, attorney Adam Harris told the judge that an agreement had been reached “in principle” to resolve the civil litigation. Harris represents Bob Weinstein, the former chairman of the Weinstein Co.
Robert Feinstein, an attorney for the committee of unsecured creditors, was a little more cautious, saying only that the parties had arrived at “a global settlement number that could be the cornerstone of a settlement with the bankruptcy estate.” He said mediation would continue next Wednesday.
The proposal provides a sizable payout to the Weinstein Co. board members — which some may argue should properly go to Weinstein’s victims. Once attorneys’ fees and payouts to other creditors are deducted from the $30 million, each individual sexual misconduct plaintiff could end up with a relatively paltry sum.
In early 2018, investor Ron Burkle led a group that planned to buy the Weinstein Co. before it went into bankruptcy. That plan called for a $30 million “victims fund,” which was understood to be the maximum available under the Weinstein Co. employment practices insurance policies. Then-attorney general Eric Schneiderman filed a civil rights suit in February 2018, and pushed to increase the fund to $90 million, saying the $30 million would likely be eaten up by lawyers’ fees and other expenses. That deal ultimately fell apart and the company declared bankruptcy.
Schneiderman later resigned due to his own sexual abuse scandal, but the civil rights suit has gone on. The attorney general’s office — now led by Letitia James — has been involved in the settlement talks.
The Weinstein Co. sold its assets to Lantern Capital Partners for $289 million last summer, which was to be divided among creditors and bankruptcy professionals. Attorneys in the case have said that the estate’s resources have dwindled over time, leading the debtors to seek to convert the case to a Chapter 7 liquidation.
A civil settlement would not affect Weinstein’s criminal case, which is set to begin in September in Manhattan.
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