Harvey Weinstein terminated after allegations of misconduct
Harvey Weinstein has been fired from The Weinstein Company, which he co-founded, after allegations of misconduct surfaced this week, according to a statement from the company's board of directors.
"In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company -- Robert Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar -- have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately," the statement said.
On Thursday, The New York Times published a report alleging that several women, including actress Ashley Judd, had made accusations against Weinstein. The producer disputed the report but immediately apologized for misconduct and announced that he would be taking a leave of absence from his company.
The New York Times, in addition to reporting the claims of sexual harassment or unwanted physical contact against Weinstein, cited two anonymous company officials saying that the famed studio executive reached at least eight settlements with accusers.
The Weinstein Company board of directors had said Friday evening that the company would launch its own investigation into the claims and that Weinstein would be on "indefinite" leave.
Weinstein's lawyer said in a statement this week that he plans to sue The New York Times.
"The New York Times published today a story that is saturated with false and defamatory statements about Harvey Weinstein," attorney Charles J. Harder said in a statement. "It relies on mostly hearsay accounts and a faulty report, apparently stolen from an employee personnel file, which has been debunked by nine different eyewitnesses. We sent the Times the facts and evidence, but they ignored it and rushed to publish. We are preparing the lawsuit now. All proceeds will be donated to women's organizations."
ABC News' Lesley Messer and Nicole Pelletiere contributed to this report.
