For most of Harvey Weinstein’s career in entertainment, there have been dark rumors surrounding harassment and assault. These rumors tailed the megaproducer for many years, though not elaborated on in volume and neither did they gain much momentum – until it did. In recent years, much has been dug up about Weinstein and women are coming forth in the numbers to speak up against Weinstein, detailing their own personal experiences with the Hollywood mogul. Here’s a timeline of events detailing how the Weinstein fiasco unfolded.
2017
In the first week of October in 2017, The New York Times published a story that dove into the decades of allegations that were made against Weinstein. Among those who stood forward are the stars Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan. The accusations included Weinstein having forced women into massaging him and even watch him unclothed, with the promise of advancing their entertainment careers in return for adult favors. Weinstein did apologize and acknowledge having caused “a lot of pain” but disputed the allegations. He then took a leave of absence from The Weinstein Company to work with a therapist. He was then sacked by the company board.
This was followed by many women coming forward with allegations and accusations of their own, including Romola Garai, Asia Argento, Mira Sorvino, Angelina Jolie, Cara Delevingne, Rose McGowan, Lysette Anthony, Lauren Holly, Lena Headey, and Gwyneth Paltrow. In light of the emerging information, Harvey Weinstein’s wife Georgina Chapman announced that she is leaving him, with her priority being their young children.
Meanwhile, police claim to be investigating specific allegations between the 1980s and 2004. Weinstein was also expelled by the organization behind the Oscars, rendering his multiple prestigious awards void. He was also stripped of his Du Bois medal by Harvard University. Weinstein was also banned for life by The Producers Guild of America and was expelled from The Television Academy. In the midst of everything, a group of employees of The Weinstein Company writes an open letter requesting their release for, their NDAs so that they may speak publically about what they had witnessed and experiences. It also comes out that Harvey Weinstein was offering cash lump sums in exchange for silence on multiple occasions.
2018
Weinstein’s membership to Bafta was then formally terminated in February, in light of his misdemeanors. The four-month-long investigation by the New York state leads to prosecutors filing a lawsuit against The Weinstein Company for not having protected employees from the alleged abuse and harassment. By March 20th, 2018, Weinstein’s former company filed for bankruptcy. In May 2018, the media mogul’s estranged wife broke her silence by giving her first interview since Weinstein was swallowed up in the scandal. She states that she was never suspicious of his behavior and shares that she had been very naïve and was humiliated as well as heartbroken by the unfolding events. Meanwhile, Weinstein’s lawyer claims that the many allegations are factually unsupported and “legally defective”. On the 25th of May, Weinstein turned himself into the police on the many charges o misconduct and he faces many charges but is released the next day on $1 million bail. Weinstein agreed to surrender his passport and to wear a GPS tracker. The case moved towards trial and by 5th June it was in the New York Supreme Court.
2019
Harvey Weinstein manages to come to a tentative agreement, along with his former studio’s board members, for the women who accused him of misconduct. Attorneys revealed that the settlement in order to resolve the civil lawsuits and to compensate the alleged victims amounts to approximately $44 million. Donna Rotunno, Weinstein’s attorney, announces that “there is a difference between sins and crimes” and says she believes he is innocent. In October of 2019, Weinstein lost his bid to have his trial moved out of New York City. On the 11th December 2019, Weinstein’s bail hikes up from $1 million to $5 million after prosecutors make claims that Weinstein disabled and misused his electronic ankle monitor on multiple occasions. Weinstein attends court with a walking frame, claiming he is due for back surgery that week. The settlement of $25 million each to the nearly 30 ex-employees and actresses still floats around but sparks anger in some plaintiffs and attorneys, and so is not signed ff. On 15th December, Weinstein gave an interview to New York Post and lamented that his life’s work has been lost.
Harvey Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to all the many charges of assault, harassment and unlawful violation of the bodies of many, many women. Weinstein faces multiple charges after over 80 women have made public accusations at Weinstein. He still faces these charges in New York state and has continuously denied wrongdoing. The star producer has cast each and every encounter as consensual, and the entire drama has created quite a stir in the industry and across the globe. Weinstein’s latest appearance showed him very frail and using a walking aid. He faces plenty more trials to come as the accusations keep coming in.