This story is rather unsettling for many reasons. Harvey Weinstein — best known as a heavy-handed producer and the guy who’s made half of Hollywood wear Marchesa — was accused by a young model of groping her. Harvey’s one of the key forces in Hollywood, and his influence runs far and wide. There have been sketchy whispers here and there. Now the co-chairman of The Weinstein Co. may be in legal trouble. A young model has come forward with allegations that he groped her during a work-related meeting. Uh-oh:
A 22-year-old Italian woman told cops that high-profile Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein sexually abused her in Manhattan, police sources said Monday.
The woman, who wasn’t identified, told cops that Weinstein, 63, touched her private area and her breasts around 6 p.m. Friday at the Tribeca Film Center, the sources said.
Weinstein has been questioned by police, and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance will determine whether to file charges, a police source said.
“He initiated the contact,” the source said of Weinstein. “He saw her and spoke to her. She didn’t know who he was until he approached her.”
Weinstein is co-founder of Miramax and has produced a host of hit movies, including Shakespeare in Love and Gangs of New York. He is married to Georgina Chapman, an English fashion designer and co-founder of fashion label Marchesa. They were married in 2007.
Weinstein’s rep did not immediately offer a response when contacted by the Daily News on Monday.
[From New York Daily News]
Harvey hasn’t been charged with any crimes yet, so who knows what will come of these allegations. The Guardian adds that the woman met Harvey for the first time on Thursday. She agreed to meet with him on Friday to discuss “business” at the Tribeca Film Center. The alleged groping occurred around 6pm. The New York Post adds that Weinstein inquired whether her breasts were real before the grope. Sources close to Weinstein tell the Post, “We believe this is a blackmail attempt, and he did nothing wrong.”
Just a reminder: Harvey’s been married to Georgina Chapman since 2007, and they have two children together. No comment so far from Georgina.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN
I am not that surprised…there have been rumors of his casting couch for years, am I wrong?
Nope which is why im praying this isn’t just an attempt to get money and she sticks to her guns. It might encourage more non industry people to come forward.
Unfortunately looking at Terry Richarson i think were a ways off Weinstein being completely dismantled but he has so far seemed to dodge direct accusations.
I was about to say it…! Weinstein is the Richardson of the movie industry! I hope he get prosecuted! it is senseless to preach feminism and then let people like Terry R. and Wenstein keep harassing women!
@Lindy, has anyone actually filed charges against Richardson or, alternatively, on the civil side, filed a harassment lawsuit with the EEOC or a state equivalent?
I dont think so Lilac. Unfortunately with these men because they are in a position of power within their industries and they tend to pick on women much lower down the ladder i dont know if they ever will be
Harvey is a buddy of Jeffrey Epstein. JE provided teen sex-slave for Prince Andrew.
Are these two cases related?
he looks like a slimy entitled smchuck…the women who gave it up to him to get ahead so to speak as slimy he is..
He is gross so not surprised.
Mostly unrelated, but Georgina is one of the most physically beautiful humans I’ve ever seen.
anyone will look amazing next to him.
God, imagine laying under him.
He works in a superficial industry and enforces superficial standards for women, but has the nerve to look like that. No effort at all to maintain healthy diet and exercise even. Like he’s making a statement that he’s “above” those standards. Only he doesn’t look healthy at all.
“has the nerve to look like that.” Love it! Also agree 1000%.
YAAASSSS. +1
Actually he looks better since he took up with Georgina. It may not look like it, but he lost weight and generally looks A LOT healthier than he did.
He used to look really terrible, was a third bigger than his current weight and looked like a walking heart attack about to happen.
Unfortunately this kind of mindset is not rare, nor is it limited to people in a superficial industry. A lot of a women’s “worth” are tied to her looks 🙁
Esthetix – That’s true, but plenty of men are conscious of their appearances, as well. I’m not saying we should all be superficial, but everyone should be concerned about diet & exercise, and honestly dressing well makes a statement too. These things are true for men as much as women – except in rare cases of men so rich they can control women with money alone (and even then, some men would be decent enough to stay fit for their wives).
+1000
@bettyrose– of course, just ask Kit Harrington 😉
This. Can you imagine how many women he has probably told they need to lose weight or change their appearance in some way in order to be eligible for a role? The hypocrisy.
@deehunny – I respect Kit Harrington far too much to demean him with my shallow lust. But perhaps he’d like to join me to drink tea and discuss Nietzsche sometime. 😉
I know, right!? I don’t understand it.
Are we surprised – i hope he is prosecuted.
From what i have read about him and how he uses the casting couch – he truly is a disgusting character.
You have to be charged with something first in order to be prosecuted for it.
It is nice to see that victim blaming is still going strong.
To be honest, I would believe her before I ever believe for one moment…. that it is some blackmail plot. His reputation towards female actresses is awful.
And with the way it has been going lately, for powerful men in the entertainment industry. This accusation could be the one that finally takes him down.
Apparently the girl is Ambra Battilana. That ‘ s what is reported. She is not a full-time model, anyway.
I would hate wronging the girl, but I seem to remember she was part of the Berlusconi entourage. I would take her words with a grain of salt.
Exactly! She attended the bunga bunga orgies. Puleeze.
She was. And one year later she sued a 70 years old man for the same reason. But she didn’t show up at the trial.
May be this is why Harvey thought it was safe to approach her that way.
She was not part of the berlusconi entourage, she also ran away from that.She was exspelled from the party because she refused sexual performance.(Witnesses and wiretaps at the process)
If she is 22 years old, she is not a girl, she is a woman. Respectable news outlets traditionally do not name women who file sexual assault charges unless the women agree that their names be made public. Whether she is a full-time or part-time or no-time model is irrelevant.
Ok, she is not a model
And whether or not she went to “bunga bunga orgies” is also irrelevant. I don’t care if she is a dominatrix swinging from the chandelier in civilian life — she has a right to not be assaulted.
@Miss Jupitero, exactly.
I’ve just read that it’s her third bad experience with a senior wealthy/powerful man. Meh.
Who is the third?
And you are reading all this where? Harvey’s damage control memo of the day?
It could be her third bad experience with a wealthy/powerful man does not mean she is lying. Lots of wealthy powerful men are scumbags. That’s the same as saying a stripper should not report a rape. What does one has to do with the other. I’m not saying he’s guilty of what she reported to the police but he might be guilty, so I’ll just hold my opinion on this one.
@ lilacFlowers it’s all over the Italian magazines.
how strange this has been published in Italy before US. Her name and everything.
by the way I also think there might be some truth.
What’s the “meh” for? I don’t care if it was her 40th time being assaulted- it’s still assault & matters. If she’s in the industry I bet it happens a lot so good for her for speaking up three times! Way to sling mud at the (alleged) victim.
@ MC2 I suppose you can’t read Italian reports about the previous cases. Well, they are not the normal sexual assault cases you would expect. The second one is really really messy, sketchy at best, but she filed and then disappeared. Bunga bunga involved prostitution but also allegedly corruption and blackmailing from most of the people involved. Not easy to understand but apparently there was no sexual assault, at least according to the trial outcomes so far.
Meh means I think they will find an agreement.
I suspect that something happened, but if you dont mind I prefer to wait and see before jumping to conclusions like most of the people do. And since I am a woman I think that his wife deserves respect, as well.
What I dont understand is how Italian media got her name. She is all over now, which is strange because she is not in the business as you said, she is a perfect nobody. And he is not that popular here like he is in US.
Just because she participated in Berlusconi’s parties that doesn’t mean she is lying.
Just because she had filed suits against men before and lost them that doesn’t mean she is lying.
Just because she is in need of money(???) that doesn’t mean she is lying.
Every accusation should be persecuted the way the law demands and it doesn’t matter WHO accuses nor HOW often the accuser has accused others before nor WHO is being accused.
It also doesn’t mean she’s innocent. There needs to be a balance because so many people are automatically assuming that he is guilty and are as guilty as those saying things about her. This is an accusation only and needs to be investigated – too bad we can’t withhold judgement until more information is made available.
This is completely shocking!
Said no one, ever.
+1 🙂
Watch a bunch of famous people who owe him their undeserved Oscars stand up for him.
sadly, I think that is exactly what will happen!
I would hope that those award winners, who got those Oscar’s would have a little compassion.
Since the chances are high that they had to kneel before ole Harvey too…. to get them.
If they are not going to stand up to Allen or Polanski, they certainly are not going to stand up to Weinstein.
I wonder if there are more women watching this and how it plays out? For a man as powerful in the industry as Harvey W and all the casting couch rumours. There might be other women out there. Be interesting to see how the Hollywood community reacts.
It could turn into another Bill Cosby case. But I am afraid Harvey is much smarter and more powerful, so it probably won’t.
I am like, SO shocked…..says she with a straight face*.
*She’s a liar.
Cyrus Vance is a hot name. And Harvey Weinstein is a pig
he’s such an easy target for blackmail because of his skeevy reputation. i am in no way saying she isn’t telling the truth (because her story is 110% believable) -only saying he is such an easy target for a harassment suit since he is such a filthy power-abusing pig. it is only a matter of time before some unscrupulous person figures out how to turn his nasty tricks against him.
and he deserves it because he has earned some sort of payback for the years of abuse he’s dished out.
I disagree that he is an easy target. Yes he has a rep, everyone who is remotely interested in gossip knows it, but it’s a big leap for one woman to take him down – he’s one of the most powerful men in Hollywood. If 30 women can’t take Bill Cosby down, sadly it’s going to take a lot more than one woman standing up to take this creep down. I don’t know what it would take, but probably a lot more than a woman whose reputation is easily smear-able – yes we can all see clearly what he’s doing to her, it doesn’t mean the legal system will.
Ugh. He is so disgusting.
Slice he is in a position of great Hollywood power., wouldn’t the common sense thing to have an assistant or others in the room when he is meeting with these young women. Why would he meet alone with a no name young model unless he wanted something out of it. JUST SAYIN.
Let’s hope if there is no charge this at least scares the crap out of him. “Powerful” men who don’t have others present at these type of meetings (offsite, off hours) are either fools…or looking for something. I wonder which catagory Harvey is in? Yeah…
exactly
Cody, he same argument is applicable to her, given his reputation. Women are not always the victims.
He looks like a total swine (apologies to swine community) and there have been rumors about him for years. Ugh, gross. And frankly, I don’t care what this woman may or may not have been involved in. If he touched her without her consent, it’s assault.
+ 1
‘Swine community’..hehehe..thanks for the great picture you put in my head!
Can I just clarify something that seems to be getting quite jumbled here? Sexual assault and sexual harassment are two different things and they are handled differently in the courts.
Sexual assault is primarily a criminal charge and there is police involvement and the person who assaults, if convicted, goes to prison and has a criminal record. The victim gets no money but may get medical bills covered through a victims compensation fund. There can be a component of harassment in the criminal case but it is a lesser charge.
Sexual harassment in a workplace or hiring situation is a civil issue and it is brought to agencies such as the EEOC or a state alternative for investigation. There is no police involvement and yes, here, money is involved. The creep has to pay but does not go to jail. Some harassment cases do involve assault claims as well.
Ditto Cody, does Harvey not know to ‘cover yer ass? Have a door open, or a window in your office, or an assistant in the room.
Someone please tell me more about the rumors. Thank you.
I won’t repeat anything on here but suggest you do a google search – some of it is pretty bad. Its mostly rumours and hearsay but there has been enough of it over the years to give it some truth.
Even if this is true, don’t expect a Cosby type fallout.
So he’s got a lot of money and has the power to call the shots, and knows it. I wouldn’t be surprised at all. I hope the girl doesn’t just drop off the radar though.
He probably doesn’t understand word “NO”. He got so used to all those thirsty People in Hollywood who only care about some awrds which give them popularity but not prestige and respect that he must have been confused by rejection. I Wonder How many actresses were His victims and How many might have agreed to His “terms”
Georgina must love the money and opportunities he brings her A LOT to be willing to f*ck someone as disgusting as Harvey and stay with him for 7 years. I guess character was not a factor when deciding to marry him and have his children.
If there’s truth to the accusation, I hope it brings out other women than have been assaulted by Weinstein and he gets his comeuppance. But I’d expect that too many are willing to bow to him in order to move forward in their careers. It’s sad, really.
I hope instead of just talking to reporters or whatever, that someone actually presses charges, if there was assault, or files a claim with the EEOC if there was workplace harassment or quid pro quo hiring practices. Just making public comments about something does nothing and it is not how our justice system works.
The EEOC and state discrimination agencies rule on workplace sexual harassment daily and most litigants are pro se, meaning they don’t have lawyers. They file on their own, with the help of agency staff.
No surprise here. I suspect HW’s, umm, proclivities range quite a bit farther and wider than groping. And for all his alleged power, he got quite shut out of the awards season just passed. Perhaps it’s time for a take-down . . .
Those pleated pants in the top photo are a crime against us all, for realz.
I didn’t know about the rumors, but he sure looks the part of casting couch sleaze ball. I hate to say it, but nothing will come of this. Woody is a pedophile and he remains unscathed. Hollywood will rally behind him, no question in my mind.
I hope more women come forward, he needs to be taken down. There’s been rumours about him abusing women for years. His use of power is corrupt and twisted, just like Terry Richardson. It’s awful these men walk around free and continue to do what they are doing. Hollywood is truly a very sick, evil place. Maybe one day these men will be brought to justice, but sadly it doesn’t seem likely. There needs to be a change, more women need to speak up.
As I said above, they need to do a lot more than speak up. They need to take themselves to the nearest EEOC office or equivalent state agency and file complaints to initiate investigations. Talking to news media or social media on these problems accomplishes little.
More women are speaking up but it’s going to take time to change the mentality of the industry. Once people feel empowered to speak out without having to face retaliation within the industry, they will, but it’s only just starting. Cosby, Richardson, Weinstein, Epstein, etc. are “baby steps”. Ten years ago, nobody was making claims against sexual predators in the entertainment industry. People are starting to come forward now. This is a good thing. Hopefully, in another ten years, everyone will feel more emboldened to speak out.
You’re right, things have started to change slowly, which is definitely a step in the right direction.
But if they are not coming forward in the courts or administrative law forums, then there is nothing to force the industry to change or enforce any changes made. And in such forums, retaliation against those who file complaints can result in triple damages.
Ugh. He’s a disgusting slob of a man.