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Harvey Weinstein Back in NY Court; Looking to Settle Civil Claims

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Harvey Weinstein may have his hands tied by some very serious criminal charges that could even land him in prison for life, but his lawyers and insurers are working to at least put some of the civil claims against him to rest. A new report indicates women are negotiating with the Weinstein camp in an attempt by Weinstein’s team to settle over a dozen civil cases against him at the same time.

Civil cases don’t pose the threat of being locked up, and the burden of proof is notably lower. Prosecutors in a criminal court of law couldn’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt that OJ Simpson committed murder, but a civil court found him guilty based upon the preponderance of evidence.

The parties will come together early next month for two days of mediation sessions and try putting together a victims’ fund, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The alleged victims’ attorneys are asking for $100 million, but negotiations have hardly begun. Weinstein’s lawyers will negotiate for as low a figure as possible.

Weinstein has accusers spanning the globe, like Kadian Noble, a British actress who said that Weinstein brought her to a hotel room under the guise of offering her a part in a movie but instead forced her into sex.

State AG Barbara Underwood’s office is in the middle of taking action against Weinstein, his brother Bob, and their company because the employees weren’t protected from danger. The pending lawsuit alleges that employees were subjected to “pervasive sexual harassment, intimidation, and discrimination.”

“Our lawsuit remains active and our investigation remains ongoing. As has been the case from the start, our priorities include ensuring that victims are sufficiently compensated, employees are protected moving forward, and perpetrators and enablers of the misconduct are not unjustly enriched,” spokeswoman Amy Spitalnick said in a statement to The New York Post.

The Jewish Voice has been reporting on Weinstein and the #MeToo movement. In what some consider a surprising turn of events, a judge in New York recently ordered the dismissal of one of six charges of sexual assault brought against Weinstein. According to published reports, prosecutors handling the high-profile case did not object to the dismissal due to the emergence of information that had been garnered while investigating the case.

The charge that was dismissed by the judge revolves around a claim of sexual assault by an aspiring actress, Lucia Evans. She told investigative reporter Ronan Farrow at the New Yorker magazine in October of 2017 that in 2004 when she was a 21-year old college student.

Weinstein had allegedly forced her to perform oral sex on him at his Tribeca office in Manhattan.

Five other charges, involving alleged assaults of two other women, remain in the case in Manhattan criminal court. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

By: Otis Evinger

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