The attorney general’s office in New York has awarded a $19 million settlement for women who suffered sexual abuse from Harvey Weinstein, a former movie mogul.
The 67-year-old had been in a legal battle with multiple women over sexual misconduct, including Lupita Nyong’o, Kenyan-Mexican actress, who detailed her personal experience with him in 2017.
The settlement comes as Weinstein is serving his 23-year sentence in a New York prison, three months after he was sentenced and found guilty by a jury for the sexual assault of Miriam Haley, a former “Project Runway” production assistant, and rape in the third degree of former actress, Jessica Mann.
It was gathered that the settlement stems from a 2018 lawsuit filed by the attorney general’s office against him for “egregious violations of New York’s civil rights, human rights, and business laws.”
In a statement to that effect, Letitia James, the New York attorney general, said an $18,875,000 compensation fund will be created and distributed among a group of women who were his victims.
James said they had experienced a hostile work environment, sexual harassment, and gender-based discrimination while working at The Weinstein Company, as well as sexual abuse from Weinstein.
As part of the agreement, the survivors will also be released from confidentiality, non-disclosure, or non-disparagement agreements with The Weinstein Company or any of its former representatives.
“Harvey Weinstein and The Weinstein Company failed their female employees. After all the harassment, threats, and discrimination, victims are finally receiving some justice,” James wrote on Twitter.
“Women who were forced to sign confidentiality agreements will also be freed from those clauses and finally be able to speak.”
The accusations against Weinstein had given rise to the #MeToo movement, which saw a deluge of women accuse business moguls, government officials, and entertainers of sexual assault.
