After the New York Times‘ thorough investigation into Academy Award-winning film producer Harvey Weinstein‘s sexual harassment allegations over the course of 20 years, the 65-year-old is officially lawyering up.
The investigation found “legal records, emails and internal documents from the businesses he has run, Miramax and the Weinstein Company,” alleging multiple cases of misconduct.
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With accusations that the Hollywood executive used his power to sexually harass women in the industry, the inquiry, “Decades of Sexual Harassment Accusations Against Harvey Weinstein,” illustrates damning accusations from Weinstein’s employees and associates over the years.
The allegations are so pejorative though that Weinstein shared a statement Thursday, revealing he would take a “leave of absence” from The Weinstein Company.
Scroll through to read some of the most damning accusations from one Hollywood’s most notable actresses and industry insiders.
Ashley Judd’s account
The New York Times investigation opens up with an account from actress Ashley Judd. Revealing to investigative reporters, Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, Judd shares the time she met Weinstein at the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel for what she assumed would be a business breakfast.
Instead, she narrates how the film producer and executive welcomed her with a bathrobe on and asked if he could massage her or watch him shower.
The investigation mentions several other instances where Weinstein had appeared nearly or full naked in front of women, asking them to be “present while he bathed” or repeatedly asked “for a massage or initiating one himself.”
In speaking out about her hotel episode, Judd said in a recent interview, “Women have been talking about Harvey amongst ourselves for a long time, and it’s simply beyond time to have the conversation publicly.”
Weinstein’s alleged enforced “code of silence”
Recent documents provided to the Times reports that employees of the Weinstein Company had signed contracts stating they would remain mum about any such incidents, ensuring they would not criticize the contract or its leaders in a way that could harm “business reputation” or “any employee’s personal reputation.”
Documents reveal that most of the women who accepted payouts after settlements had to agree to confidentiality clauses that barred them speaking about any deals or the types of events that led to such agreements.
Boasting about sleeping with actresses
This alleged exchange between law and business student, Emily Nestor in 2014 reveals how she accepted Weinstein’s breakfast invitation at the Peninsula because she “did not want to miss an opportunity,” as she told her fellow colleagues.
However, after she arrived and the two chatted, Weinstein offered to help her career, while bragging about a series of famous actresses he claimed to have slept with. Several colleagues compiled the accounts after hearing Nester’s story.
The claims of a “toxic environment for women”
Following Nestor’s story, a female assistant shared with her colleagues that Weinstein had “badgered her” into “giving him a massage while he was naked.” The incident left O’Connor “crying and very distraught,” according to memo written by Lauren O’Connor, the colleague of the assistant.
In the searing memo addressed to several executives, O’Connor asserted sexual harassment and other misconduct by their boss, adding “there is a toxic environment for women at this company.”
The memo about a “toxic environment for women”
Following Nestor’s story, a female assistant shared with her colleagues that Weinstein had “badgered her” into “giving him a massage while he was naked.” The incident left O’Connor “crying and very distraught,” according to memo written by Lauren O’Connor, the colleague of the assistant.
In the searing memo addressed to several executives, O’Connor asserted sexual harassment and other misconduct by their boss, adding “there is a toxic environment for women at this company.”
The undisclosed settlement reached with actress Rose McGowan
In 1997, the movie Scream was a box office success and went on to spawn a slew of sequels and a television reboot. But according to the New York Times investigation, there was a dark secret behind the film production that found one of its stars, Rose McGowan reaching an undisclosed settlement with the Miramax producer after an episode in a hotel room during the Sundance Film Festival.
McGowan, 23 at the time, declined to comment on the account, but documents revealed a $100,000 settlement was “not to be construed as an admission” by Weinstein, but intended to “avoid litigation and buy peace.”
Weinstein’s alleged meeting with Italian model Ambra Battilana
Aspiring Italian actress and model Ambra Battilana, was invited to Weinstein’s Tribeca office in March 2015 to discuss her career. But within hours, she called police after she reported he grabbed her breasts after asking if they were “real” and put his hands up her skirt.
The New York Police Department’s Special Victims Squad investigated the claims, which tragically splashed across tabloids. Reports surfaced that Battilana had worked with investigators to “secretly record a confession” from Weinstein. However, according to those familiar with the settlement, Weinstein made a payout to Battilana, on the condition of anonymity about confidential agreement.
The public nature of the case concerned Weinstein’s colleagues and board members, but when pressed on for further details, he insisted she had “set him up.”
Photo credit: Twitter / @thinkprogress
