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New York Attorney General files suit against Weinstein Company, alleging civil rights violations

An expected sale of the indelibly tainted Weinstein Company has hit a snag in the form of a lawsuit from New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the suit against Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, and the Weinstein Company alleges “a years-long gender-based hostile work environment, a pattern of quid […]

New York Attorney General files suit against Weinstein Company, alleging civil rights violations

[Photo: Flickr user Metropolitan Transportation Authority/Patrick Cashin]

BY Joe Berkowitz0 minute read

An expected sale of the indelibly tainted Weinstein Company has hit a snag in the form of a lawsuit from New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman’s office.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the suit against Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, and the Weinstein Company alleges “a years-long gender-based hostile work environment, a pattern of quid pro quo sexual harassment, and routine misuse of corporate resources for unlawful ends.” In short, Schneiderman contends that the company, which recently sold off lingering assets like the hit sequel Paddington 2, violated its employees’ civil rights.

This lawsuit is only the latest in Weinstein-related legal troubles, which include a class action civil racketeering lawsuit, but it arrived at a pivotal moment. An investor group led by Maria Contreras-Sweet had been in negotiations to buy TWC for $500 million–and install a female-majority board, for a measure of poetic justice–but the sale is now uncertain.

In a statement regarding the suit, AG Schneiderman said, “Any sale of the Weinstein Company must ensure that victims will be compensated, employees will be protected going forward, and that neither perpetrators nor enablers will be unjustly enriched.”

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Read the full story here.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Joe Berkowitz is an opinion columnist at Fast Company. His latest book, American Cheese: An Indulgent Odyssey Through the Artisan Cheese World, is available from Harper Perennial. More


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