It's been a while since we've heard any news about the fate of Hollywood producer and former Miramax head Harvey Weinstein. But The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) has just reported that a $47 million settlement was recently reached that effectively nullifies all of the civil cases currently pending against Weinstein.
According to reports, Weinstein and all of his former associates, insurers, and accusers have agreed to accept this $47 million payout in lieu of Weinstein actually having to face any potential jail time. Of this $47 million, roughly $25 million will be awarded to the various women who've accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct.
Under the terms of this settlement agreement, Weinstein and his former associates will not be admitting any wrongdoing, which under the law means that they'll remain "innocent." Worse is the fact that the bulk of this settlement money won't even be paid by Weinstein, but will instead be paid for by his insurance policies, including policies held by his former studio.
Though the deal will still need to be approved by a bankruptcy judge, as well as by a judge overseeing a proposed class-action lawsuit, Weinstein already appears to be getting off easy, as high-profile criminals like him usually do.
The good news is that the settlement will not impact a criminal case that's been brought by Manhattan prosecutors, which is set to go to trial on January 6. Weinstein has already plead not-guilty to this case, and denies all allegations of ever engaging in nonconsensual sex with any of his accusers.
For more related news about Weinstein and this questionable settlement situation, be sure to check out Corruption.news.
Some of Weinstein's alleged victims have already said no deal, declaring proposed settlement to be unfair
According to the WSJ, the breakdown of the settlement funds will include $6 million to women who've filed lawsuits and legal claims with their attorneys; $18.6 million to be set aside for additional alleged victims, including those covered by the New York attorney general's lawsuit; $7 million to some of the creditors of Miramax; $12 million to the lawyers who defended Weinstein's former associates against these suits; and $1 million to several alleged victims who've refused to participate in the settlement.
Speaking of those refusing to participate in the settlement, several of them have already come out to decry that a settlement is even being considered. In their view, this is an unfair outcome, especially since Weinstein's lawyers are taking a massive chunk of the payout.
"It is shameful that $12 million of the settlement is going to the lawyers for the directors who we alleged enabled Harvey Weinstein," stated Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer for one of these non-participating women.
Wigdor would obviously prefer that this $12 million be divvied up between the plaintiffs' lawyers, including himself. Zero Hedge joked about this, saying that perhaps the #metoo hashtag should be changed to #paymetoo.
Settlement negotiations in this ongoing saga have reportedly been going on for more than a year, and included "countless parties," including Weinstein's lawyers, his former film studio, the office of the New York attorney general, various insurers, and a slew of alleged victims.
"This is an injustice," commented one Zero Hedge reader about this proposed settlement outcome. "(Harvey Weinstein) should have been tried and found guilty and hanged. Just another example of money rules justice."
"Isn't Weinstein associated with both Jeffrey Epstein and Adam Schiff?" asked another. "Perhaps it needs looking at."
"He will continue to receive royalties from the many successful movies he has made," pointed out yet another. "And he will continue in the industry, but hidden from sight."
To keep up with the latest news about how there's one set of rules for them, and a whole different set of rules for the rest of us, be sure to check out Evil.news.
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