Scores of civil suits have been filed against Harvey Weinstein and his bankrupt film company. While not all of the suits are rooted in sexual misconduct claims, those that are may be coming to an end. Allegedly his insurance company has made a $25 million settlement offer to the victims.
This money will not be coming from Weinstein’s pockets but rather from an insurance policy, not unlike when an insurance company pays a car accident or other negligence claim. The insurance company also likely footed the bill for the lawyers and other litigation costs too. But don’t get too upset, this isn’t because of any special treatment for the rich and famous, it’s just how these types of claims and these types of insurance policies work. What you can get upset over is that as part of the settlement, Weinstein will not have to admit any wrongdoing nor apologize to the victims. It’s understandable why he doesn’t want to admit guilt (it’s primarily because of the upcoming criminal trial) but an apology could have been worked in and not damaged the rape case. Though, really what would be the point? Is Harvey Weinstein truly sorry for any of the pain he caused his victims? That’s a rhetorical question.
Another complexity is that the money is going to have to be shared by all the accusers. Divvying any global settlement is never an easy task. Ultimately, even if all relevant parties agree, the settlement will require court approval.
Bottom line: $25 million may sound like a lot but given the number of claimants, the degree to which they suffered, it’s not going to even come close to fairly and sufficiently compensating them for the wrongs Harvey Weinstein and his company committed.