During the height of the Harvey Weinstein scandal last fall-winter, there was an interesting political debate going on adjacent to the #MeToo stories. The debate was about non-disclosure agreements, and how victims of harassment, abuse and assault are often persuaded, coerced or threatened into taking a paltry settlement in exchange for an NDA. Weinstein used NDAs on so many of the women he abused and harassed, including many of his former employees at the Weinstein Company. Years of watching Law & Order taught me that NDAs have no standing in criminal proceedings, but many of Weinstein’s victims didn’t pursue criminal charges, and as such, they were effectively silenced by the NDAs they were coerced into signing, and they lived for years under the threat of Weinstein’s lawyers if they ever breathed a word about what Weinstein put them through.

The political debate was about ending the practice of NDAs, or making it difficult for people/predators like Weinstein to pursue legal action if someone breaks an NDA and tells their story. Well, in Weinstein’s case, any and all current and former employees who were handcuffed by an NDA are now free to tell their stories. The Weinstein Company filed for bankruptcy and the company is releasing everyone from their NDAs.

The Weinstein Company Holdings LLC announced that it has filed for voluntary bankruptcy and entered into an agreement to sell its assets to a Dallas-based equity firm. It also announced that it is ending all nondisclosure agreements that prevented victims of alleged sexual misconduct at the hands of disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein from talking about their experiences.

The Weinstein Co. will enter into a “stalking horse” agreement with an affiliate of Lantern Capital Partners in conjunction with entering into bankruptcy proceedings.

“Under the agreement, Lantern will purchase substantially all of the assets of the Company, subject to certain conditions including approval of the Bankruptcy Court. The Board selected Lantern in part due to Lantern’s commitment to maintain the assets and employees as a going concern,” said the company in a statement released late Monday.

But it was the second and third paragraphs of the statement that are likely to draw even greater attention in light of the many women who have come forward to accuse Weinstein of sexually harassment and abuse: “Today, the Company also takes an important step toward justice for any victims who have been silenced by Harvey Weinstein. Since October, it has been reported that Harvey Weinstein used non-disclosure agreements as a secret weapon to silence his accusers. Effective immediately, those “agreements” end. The Company expressly releases any confidentiality provision to the extent it has prevented individuals who suffered or witnessed any form of sexual misconduct by Harvey Weinstein from telling their stories. No one should be afraid to speak out or coerced to stay quiet. The Company thanks the courageous individuals who have already come forward. Your voices have inspired a movement for change across the country and around the world.”

[From NPR]

A few things to point out: TWC has only released people from their NDAs as part of a complicated legal situation as part of the bankruptcy filing, not because they had some sudden come-to-Jesus moment about doing the right thing by these women. I’m sure a bankruptcy lawyer or specialist could explain this better, but I’m guessing this is the buyer’s way of saying that all women should come forward now or forever hold your peace because Lantern isn’t going to pay sh-t to you once they buy TWC. On the plus side, Lantern is also saying that it has no interest in enforcing TWC’s NDAs either. So all of Weinstein’s victims can tell their stories in the days, weeks and months to come without fear of being sued into oblivion.

Also: this NDA debate has huge political ramifications. The current #NotMyPresident is, as we speak, trying to tell his former mistress that she has no right to tell her story because she signed a very strange NDA.

Photos courtesy of WENN.