Summary: In a new film, the New York Attorney General said that the Harvey Weinstein case is one of the most “despicable” he has ever worked on.
In a new film, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman did not hold back about his feelings for Harvey Weinstein. As you would probably guess, they were not favorable, according to The Independent.
“It’s sort of unfathomable,” Schneiderman said. “It is very difficult for anyone who looks at the documents that we’ve seen to, to believe that there wasn’t at least some knowledge that he was engaged in sexual misconduct. We’ve never seen anything as despicable as this.”
Schneiderman expressed his feelings in a new 60-minute film for the BBC that explores Weinstein’s life and his alleged misconduct.
Earlier this month, Schneiderman sued The Weinstein Company, saying that he wanted his office to oversee the operations of the film production company. Schneiderman believed that management allowed Weinstein to sexually harass women for decades, and he wanted them to set up a fund to pay victims.
Last October, the New York Times published an expose about Harvey Weinstein’s alleged bad behavior, which included luring actresses into his hotel room under the guise of business meetings and then forcing them into giving him sex or massages. After that piece went viral, dozens of women came forward with their own Weinstein horror stories, and some claimed that the former Hollywood powerhouse had even raped them.
Weinstein has vehemently denied non-consensual sex, but he was eventually ousted from his company and multiple cities have opened up criminal investigations. Because of the scandal, the company decided to sell itself, and it had one buyer lined up, an investment group run by Maria Contreras-Sweet.
Contreras-Sweet’s group was to purchase the Weinstein Company for $500 million, and after the acquisition, Weinstein’s former right-hand-man David Glasser was to run the organization. However, this deal fell through after Schneiderman filed his lawsuit.
In the BBC film, Schneiderman said that the Weinstein Company knew of numerous complaints against the producer but there was “not one formal investigation.”
A spokesperson for Weinstein said that Weinstein is apologetic to those offended by his behavior but maintains there was no sexual misconduct.
“Mr. Weinstein categorically denies ever engaging in any non-consensual sexual conduct with anyone and any suggestion that he acted improperly to defend himself against such claims is simply wrong. Nevertheless, to those offended by Mr. Weinstein’s behavior, he remains deeply apologetic,” the spokesperson said.
- Weinstein Company Plans to File for Bankruptcy
- New York Attorney General Files Civil Lawsuit Against Weinstein Company
- Weinstein Company Sued by Six Women for Organized Crime
- TIME Names Silence Breakers of #MeToo as Person of the Year