Harvey Weinstein's Victims To Receive $17 Million Payout: Court

By Mary Anne R. First Posted: Jan 26, 2021 03:06 AM EST

A judge confirmed on Monday that there would be a liquidation plan that gives $17 million in funds for Harvey Weinstein's victims of sexual misconduct.

The plan also provides $9.7 million to the former officers and directors of the Weinstein Co., which allows them to pay a portion of their legal bills over the last several years.

According to an NBC News report, the directors and officers also received releases that absolve them of any possible liability for enabling Weinstein's conduct.

These directors and officers were Weinstein's brother, Bob, James Dolan, Tarak Ben Ammar, and Lance Maerov.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Mary Walrath approved the plan after a hearing in Delaware, saying that without the settlement, Weinstein's victims would get "minimal, if any, recovery."

$17 Million Payout to Harvey Weinstein's Victims

The payout will be divided among the more than 50 claimants, with the most serious claims, which could cause payouts of $500,000 or more. Weinstein's victims put to a vote the settlement with 39 voting in favor and eight opposed.

A lawyer representing those who objected to the payout, Ruby Liu, said Monday that the settlement fund is meager.

The deal also deprives her clients of the chance to pursue Bob Weinstein and the other directors in court. Liu said that there are more than monetary considerations that her clients want.

"They are seeking a finding from a jury that holds all responsible parties accountable. That's not just Harvey Weinstein," Liu said in a Variety report.

Paul Zumbro, the attorney representing the Weinstein Co. estate, argued that the deal was the best one for the victims. He added that the insurance companies would not have been willing to pay out if the directors and officers were not due to release.

Meanwhile, an earlier version of the settlement amounting to $24.3 million would have been given to the victims, including women who claimed they were abused in the Miramax era predated in 2005.

However, Judge Alvin Hellerstein rejected the deal. Hellerstein said that the class-action suit that included the Miramax-era victims was not viable.

According to The New Daily report, the settlement was revised to exclude Miramax, Disney, and their insurers.

Many attorneys agreed to the plan, saying that it is better to give most of the claimants' closure rather than forcing them to endure years of legal procedures without a certain outcome.

Debra Grassgreen, an attorney for the Unsecured Creditors' Committee, said this is the "best we're going to do."

Harvey Weinstein Sexual Harassment Allegations

Actresses Rose McGowan and Ashley Judd were among the first women who came forward with the accusations. Claims against Harry Weinstein include forcing women to massage him and watch him naked, with a promise to help advance their careers in return for sexual favors.

In 2017, Harry Weinstein issued an apology acknowledging that he has caused a lot of pain to the victims. Allegations stated that he harassed female employees for around three decades.

In 2018, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts or BAFTA formally terminated Weinstein's membership as actress Uma Thurman details long-hinted allegations against Weinstein.

The New York Times reported that she was pushed by Harry Weinstein and tried to expose himself at his hotel room in London during the 1990s. However, Weinstein's spokeswoman said that the claims were untrue, according to a BBC report.