Ashley Judd, Others Accuse Harvey Weinstein of Harassment

At least 8 women have reached settlements with the producer over the years: NYT
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 5, 2017 4:14 PM CDT
Ashley Judd, Others Accuse Harvey Weinstein of Harassment
In this March 2, 2014 photo, Harvey Weinstein arrives at the Oscars in Los Angeles.   (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

Harvey Weinstein has settled with at least eight women regarding sexual harassment allegations, the New York Times states in a bombshell report on the powerful Hollywood producer who faces undisclosed allegations going back nearly three decades. One of those women accusing Weinstein is Ashley Judd. She says she was called to Weinstein's hotel room as a young actor for what she thought was a business meeting. Instead, she says Weinstein repeatedly asked to massage her or for her to watch him shower. Another actor, Rose McGowan, settled with Weinstein stemming from an incident in 1997. "Women have been talking about Harvey amongst ourselves for a long time," Judd says. "It's simply beyond time to have the conversation publicly."

Dozens of former and current employees say they knew of Weinstein's inappropriate conduct, but Weinstein Company employee contracts forbid criticizing leadership in a way that could hurt reputations. The accusations against the Oscar-winning producer of Pulp Fiction and Good Will Hunting follow a pattern: Women are invited to Weinstein's hotel room on the pretense of business only to be confronted with a fully or nearly naked Weinstein, who pressures them for a massage or tells them to watch him bathe. It apparently got so bad that some employees formed a buddy system for meetings with Weinstein. "I'm trying to do better," Weinstein says. "I know I have a long way to go." The AP reports Weinstein will be taking a leave of absence from his company following the report; but according to the Hollywood Reporter, the producer also plans to sue the Times over the story. (More Harvey Weinstein stories.)

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