Earlier today multiple women went public with their stories about film producer Harvey Weinstein sexually harassing them. The bombshell report, published by the New York Times, alleges decades of sexual misconduct by the millionaire film executive.
Yesterday, before the story was published, Variety learned that Weinstein was preparing for the Times story to break by lawyering up with Charles Harder, the now-infamous attorney who helped Hulk Hogan bankrupt Gawker and who has carved out a reputation as a suer of journalists. When asked about the then-unpublished story, Weinstein told Variety, “The story sounds so good I want to buy the movie rights.”
Today Weinstein changed his tune a bit quite a bit. In a statement to the Times, he wrote, “I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it.”
Despite his apparent remorse, he is still intending to sue. The Hollywood Reporter writes that Harder is already preparing a lawsuit on behalf of Weinstein. “We sent the Times the facts and evidence, but they ignored it and rushed to publish. We are preparing the lawsuit now,” Harder told the Reporter.
Weinstein’s lawyer added that the producer planned to donate the proceeds from his lawsuit to “women’s organizations.” You can read the full New York Times report here.
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