Harvey Weinstein

2017 Was the Year Sexual Assault by Powerful Men Was Exposed

In October 2017, when reports about media mogul Harvey Weinstein’s long, sordid history of sexual misconduct became public, no one could have predicted what would follow. We hoped for outrage, we hoped for action but what happened next exceeded our wildest dreams (even after the tumultuous year we’ve experienced). Women everywhere began to speak out in a way that they had not before. Enough was enough in Hollywood, it was enough in sports, and it was enough in government. The #MeToo movement allowed women to digitally band together to say: You can no longer behave this way. And many men, with #howwillichange and #ididit began looking at their own behavior. This, ladies and gentlemen, is how we spark change.

Since Harvey Weinstein, we’ve seen nearly 100 men in entertainment, sports and politics accused of sexual misconduct. Highlighted below are thirty of them. However, so as not to depress anyone, let’s make one thing clear, we here at PROOF believe times they are a-changin’. This whole “blowing the lid” off sexual harassment and assault in 2017 was not for nothing.  The more we tell these stories, the more we keep the subject in the forefront of our minds and our discussions, the more effective we will be in reducing the number of claims and empowering victims to share their stories and demand that assailants are held accountable.

1. Harvey Weinstein

The man who began it all (and whose downfall gave us the term “Weinstein effect” in the process), Weinstein’s nearly three decade long history of sexual assault and harassment included big, recognizable names like Salma Hayek, Rose McGowan, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd, and Angelina Jolie. Weinstein was fired from his own company, his wife left him, is facing numerous civil lawsuits and is under criminal investigation in the US and UK.

2. Ben Affleck 

After condemning Weinstein’s actions on social media, Affleck found himself accused of sexual misconduct on the set of ‘TRL’ (a popular MTV show back in the day), where he groped actress and then-host Hilarie Burton’s breast. Affleck apologized for acting inappropriately.

3. Oliver Stone 

Oliver Stone condemned Weinstein’s actions, but was also soon under fire when women began coming forward to tell their stories of his misconduct. Patricia Arquette spoke of the “weird” encounter she had with the director, who sent her flowers and got upset with her when she brought a boyfriend to an industry event.

4. David Blaine 

The magician was accused of raping model Natasha Prince in London in 2004. Scotland Yard (London police department) is currently investigating the matter.

5. James Toback

The Hollywood director has been accused of sexually harassing scores of women. According to reports, Toback, much like Weinstein, had an MO (modus operandi: a Latin word, used in both the law and the rest of the world to mean a particular way of doing something) which was that he would lead women back to his hotel room under the guise of an audition, where he would attempt to get them to engage with him in sexual acts and ask suggestive questions about masturbation. The predatory behavior even affected actresses like Selma Blair, who publicly shared her story.

6. Ken Baker 

The E! Correspondent was slapped with sexual harassment allegations by two women, one who claimed he asked her to sit on his lap, another claimed he propositioned her for sex and texted her that he wanted to give her a sex toy from Tiffany that had his name engraved on it. E! Is taking the allegations seriously and is currently investigating the claims. Baker denies the claims saying he was “disturbed by the anonymous allegations.”

7. Kevin Spacey 

Spacey stands accused of multiple acts of sexual misconduct. Most notably is the sexual assault allegation made by actor Anthony Rapp when Rapp was just 14 years old. Spacey felt quickly the pain of his actions. He was written off ‘House of Cards’, was replaced in the already shot film, ‘All the Money in the World’, and, among other things, is now seen as the disgraced former artistic director of the very reputable Old Vic theater in London (Spacey faces 20 allegations of inappropriate behavior during his 11 year tenure there).

8. Jeremy Piven 

The ‘Entourage’ actor was accused of groping Ariane Bellamar on set and two more allegations by two other women followed. Piven has categorically denied all claims but CBS has said that amid the sexual misconduct allegations it is ending Piven’s current show, ‘Wisdom of the Crowd.’

9. Brett Ratner 

The director was accused of sexually harassing and/or assaulting six women in a report. Those included in the report were actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge. The report included allegations of discussing sex in an explicit and graphic manner, forcing women to perform oral sex, and masturbating in front of one woman. Ratner also was allegedly present when music producer Russell Simmons sexually assaulted a young actress, failed to stop the assault, and never said a word about it.

10. Dustin Hoffman 

Actress Anna Graham Hunter wrote an essay describing the sexual harassment she endured while on set with Dustin Hoffman during the show ‘Death of a Salesman’. Hoffman did not deny the allegations, but apologized for putting her in an uncomfortable situation. Hoffman has also been accused of exposing himself to a young woman in high school (she attended the same school Hoffman’s daughter attended) and of sexually assaulting two other women. Two of the women have made their names public, including, Cori Thomas, the one who was in high school at the time of the assault.

11. Ed Westwick 

The ‘Gossip Girl’ actor has been accused by two women of rape. The reports by both women are eerily similar—they arrived at Westwick’s home via Uber, they drank, went into a bedrooms separate from Westwick’s to sleep and then Westwick came to the room and raped them. Actress Katrina Cohen, one of the victims, describes the incident in a detailed Facebook post. Westwick denies the allegations.

12. Jeffrey Tambor 

The ‘Transparent’ star was accused of sexual misconduct by his former assistant, which he explained away as a “disgruntled employee.” Things got harder to ignore he was accused of misconduct on set by his costar, Trace Lysette, who said he made lewd comments to her while she wore pajamas for a scene and even went so far as to press himself into her while backing her into a corner.  Tambor has left the hit show as a result.

13. Steven Seagal 

Portia de Rossi alleged that, during an audition, the director “unzipped his leather pants” and that when she told her agent about the assault, her agent was not surprised, saying simply that she’s “didn’t know if he was [Portia’s] type.” Seagal has been accused of sexual misconduct in the past, but has not denied these claims specifically.

14. Roy Moore

Thank goodness Moore lost the Alabama Senate race, but his presence on the national stage stirred up controversy when he was accused of sexual misconduct by 9 women.  Three of the women alleged that he had sexually assaulted them. Moore was 31 at the time of an alleged incident with a then-16-year-old and 32 at the time of the alleged incident with a then-14-year-old.

15. Louis CK 

The New York Times published a report including the experiences of two women who alleged that the comedian masturbated in front of them, and another woman who alleges that he did so while on the phone with her. Louis CK acknowledged that the allegations were true and expressed remorse for taking advantage of the admiration the women had for him by exposing himself.

16. George Takei 

The comedian and former ‘Star Trek’ star has been accused of groping model Scott Brunton while he was unconscious nearly 40 years ago. The LGBT activist denied the allegations with a series of tweets that called them “antithetical to his values and practices.”

17. Al Franken

Journalist Leeann Tweeden alleged that Franken groped and kissed her without her consent in 2006, saying that he repeatedly tried to kiss her in rehearsal for a comedy skit. Franken resigned from his senate seat as a result of the allegations.

18. Russell Simmons 

Keri Claussen Khalighi claimed that, when she was 17, Simmons coerced her into performing oral sex in 1991 and of penetrating her without her consent. Simmons denies the allegation and called the sexual encounter “consensual.” On November 30, 2017, he announced that he would be stepping down from his company.

19. Ryan Seacrest 

Seacrest’s former wardrobe stylist accused the television/radio host and producer of misconduct, though details have not been released. Seacrest vehemently denies the allegations (and called them reckless) but apologized if he ever made her feel “anything but respected.”

20. Charlie Rose 

The television host was accused by eight woman of making inappropriate phone calls, groping them, and walking around naked around them. Rose apologized for his behavior, explaining that he thought his behavior was welcome, but realizes now that it was not. Both CBS and PBS, networks on which Rose had shows, fired him in the wake of the accusations.

21. Nick Carter 

The Backstreet Boy was accused of raping Melissa Schuman, who alleged that Carter forcefully took her virginity in 2002. Carter denies the allegations, saying that their sexual relationship was consensual.

22. Matt Lauer 

On November 29th, 2017 NBC announced that they had fired Lauer after receiving a complaint about “inappropriate sexual conduct in the workplace” that they believed was not an isolated incident. Of course it wasn’t isolated and the floodgates opened with accounts of Lauer commenting about his co-workers bodies, showing his penis to women in his office, giving colleagues sex toys and detailing how he’d like them to use it, among scores of other disgusting behavior.

23. Geraldo Rivera

Rivera was in hot water for defending Matt Lauer after he was accused of sexual misconduct, but it turns out he may have been speaking from experience. Bette Midler shared an old interview where she accused him of drugging and groping her in the 1970s. Rivera denied it but apologized nonetheless.

24. Danny Masterson

Reportedly actor Danny Masterson is being investigated by LAPD after three women accused him of sexual assault. Danny Masterson has denied these allegations, but that did not stop Netflix from taking action—they wrote him off the series, ‘The Ranch.’ Masterson said in a statement, “In the current climate, it seems as if you are presumed guilty the moment you are accused.” Please excuse us if we are rolling eyes at this one.

25. Bryan Singer

The director of ‘X-Men’ is currently facing a lawsuit for allegedly raping a then-17-year-old in 2003. Cesar Sanchez-Guzman alleges Singer, forced Cesar to perform oral sex on him while on a party on a yacht. Singer denies the allegations and fired back with accusations that Sanchez-Guzman is looking for money in light of his declaring bankruptcy.

26. Trent Franks 

Congressman Trent Franks resigned on December 7th, 2017 after serving in the House of Representatives since 2003 following an ethics inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment of two female subordinates.

27. Mario Batali 

The celebrity chef was accused of touching women inappropriately, causing him to step away from his company. Batali didn’t admit to the allegations outright, saying that “the identities of most of the individuals mentioned in these stories have not revealed to me, much of the behavior described does, in fact, match up with ways I’ve acted.” So essentially, he can’t put names to the women he has assaulted, but he recognizes his behavior. Nice.

28. Mark Halperin

Political analyst and journalist Mark Halperin has been accused by multiple women of sexually harassing them while he was at ABC News.  His current employers, NBC and MSNBC, suspended him pending investigations and then terminated him.

29. Morgan Spurlock

The ‘Super Size Me’ actor was his own whistleblower, posting to social media to say that he had been accused of rape on top of separately settling a sexual harassment lawsuit with a former assistant. In his statement he wrote, “I am not some innocent bystander, I am also part of the problem. But I am also part of the solution. By recognizing what I’ve done and openly admitting what I’ve done to further this terrible situation.”

30. TJ Miller 

The ‘Silicon Valley’ star has been accused of sexual misconduct at George Washington University. The victim’s allegations are disturbing, with claims that Miller choked, punched, and sexually assaulted her. Miller denied the allegations, saying that the woman accusing him of assault has been trying to break up his relationship since meeting her in college, and that she was capitalizing on the current climate.

If this summary makes you uncomfortable or upset, you’re not alone. It is hard to be let down by celebrities, politicians, and men in positions of power who might have been someone you admire or look up to. In 2018, we encourage you to look toward to the future rather than looking back in disgust. Change is coming.

If you want more details about many of the above claims, simply use our search tool (top right) and search for sexual misconduct. We’ve covered this topic a lot.

Harvey Weinstein: Three Decades More Than Enough

The New York Times lit a match and set Harvey Weinstein’s career ablaze on October 5th, 2017 with a scathing report that the Hollywood power player has been sexually harassing actresses and female employees for decades.

The report is a play-by-play of assault and harassment that makes Bill O’Reilly look downright saintly. There is the story of Ashley Judd meeting Mr. Weinstein at his hotel for what she thought was a business meeting. Instead, she was sent to his room, greeted by Weinstein in a bathrobe, and asked “if he could give her a massage of she could watch him shower.” There’s the particularly troubling story of Emily Nestor, who only made it one day as a temp for Mr. Weinstein. She, too, was invited to his hotel, but made another offer, according to the New York Times. Weinstein allegedly told her that if she was sexual with him, he would give her career a much needed boost. Nestor reported him to her colleagues. The next year, another assistant’s account of harassment upset her colleague to the point that she wrote a memo that read, “There is a toxic environment for women at this company.” Toxic? That’s perhaps the understatement of the year! Her memo also poignantly points out just how easy it was for one of Hollywood’s most powerful men to take advantage of women as he did. “I am a 28-year-old woman trying to make a living and a career. Harvey Weinstein is a 64-year-old, world famous man and this is his company. The balance of power is me: 0, Harvey Weinstein: 10.”

Adding to the New York Times expose was the second punch by the New Yorker. This article, written by Ronan Farrow (son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen), included even more serious claims — allegations of rape. Farrow said, “Three women told me that Weinstein raped them, allegations that include Weinstein forcibly performing or receiving oral sex and forcing vaginal sex. Four women said that they experienced unwanted touching that could be classified as an assault.”  In fact, in 2015 the NYPD engaged in a sting operation in which an audio recording captured Weinstein admitting to groping a model named Ambra Battilana Gutierrez. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office declined to press charges. This decision apparently surprised the officers involved in the operation but recently the prosecutor’s office said this about their decision:  “While the recording is horrifying to listen to, what emerged from the audio was insufficient to prove a crime under New York law, which requires prosecutors to establish criminal intent.”

We at PROOF do not agree with this legal determination but perhaps there are other factors we are not privy to that played into this decision. We do believe, however, that this is Harvey’s last lucky break. NYPD and the DA’s office will no doubt be looking more seriously and closely into the claims of rape. Currently, there are allegations that at least one of them occurred in New York.  Note that for at least the last ten years, New York does not have a statute of limitations on rape so many cases will not be time barred.  And, as of this writing, there are 4 sexual assault investigations underway in London. There is no statute of limitations on sex crimes in the United Kingdom.

Over the years, Weinstein has settled at least eight claims that were brought against him for inappropriate behavior toward women. We do not yet know if the settlements stemmed from incidents of alleged assault or harassment because the settlements are confidential. The parties to the settlements could not divulge information or talk about them BUT that does not mean the information and the witnesses (parties, victims) can’t be subpoenaed in future legal actions, including criminal investigations. While some of the clauses in the agreement will likely receive protection if/when the agreements lose their “confidential status” much of their contents will be discoverable whether it is a civil or criminal matter.

The news is coming out fast and furious about Weinstein. As of this writing, his wife has left him, he has been fired by his own company, he has been kicked out of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences, USC has returned his $5 million donation, and near daily women are reporting their experiences with him. Just about everything about this matter is disgusting and what makes it even worse is the way that Weinstein presented himself as a supporter of women. His company distributed “The Hunting Ground” a movie about sexual assault on college campuses. He donated and held fundraisers for Hillary Clinton, he employed Obama’s daughter Malia as an intern. He joined a women’s march in Utah. Talk about a sheep in wolf’s clothing.

It seems as if it has been weeks since his initial statement to the press (as of this posting it has been only 10 days), when, in explaining his conduct, he said, “I came of age in the 60’s and 70’s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. Really? Actually, they weren’t so different. Women didn’t enjoy being harassed or assaulted back then either. He continued though by saying that he learned from the past and has changed. He acknowledged that his behavior “has caused a lot of pain, and [he] sincerely apologizes for it.” Standard issues, boilerplate mea culpa from Weinstein. In light of the breadth and depth of his misconduct, we at PROOF can’t recall a more hollow and meaningless public apology.

What about that defamation suit Weinstein threatened to file against the New York Times? He has already fired the lawyer he hired, Charles Harder. (Harder famously won Hulk Hogan a $140 million settlement against Gawker, click here to read more about that.) For anyone who still cares about Weinstein’s described as his motives for the suit, here’s his explanation: I am suing because of the Times’ inability to be honest with me, and their reckless reporting. They told me lies. They made assumptions.”  Okay, Harvey.

The Hollywood casting couch has been around since the early 1900s. Most in Hollywood knew of Weinstein’s couch or what we at PROOF like to call an entire furniture store. There were jokes on sitcoms (30 Rock), comments on award shows (Seth MacFarlane at the 2013 Academy awards), and general conversations among scores of women in Hollywood about his behavior. Perhaps not everyone knew (Meryl Streep?!) about Hollywood’s biggest yet dirtiest little secret but it’s well past the time to expose it and to expose it on the level in which it is being exposed. Maybe this will be the tipping point in the way Hollywood has been run for decades, maybe it will serve as a deterrent we are hopeful that it will be. In the meantime, we will keep a careful eye on all the legal issues that will be the very predictable fallout surrounding this former Tinseltown titan.

 

 

 

People of the State of New York v. Harvey Weinstein Begins

With cameras and reporters contained in a pen out front of a Manhattan courthouse and more lined up in the hallway outside of the courtroom, and even more packed in the benches inside the courtroom (along with several Weinstein survivors), the trial that sparked the Me Too movement has begun. Day one was uneventful with the judge issuing some pretrial rulings regarding jury selection. The week continued with scores of jurors admitting they could not be fair and impartial and several stating they too had been victims of sexual misconduct. One potential juror even said a friend had a bad encounter with Weinstein in a hotel room (naturally she wasn’t selected).  And, on another day, Harvey Weinstein, a man who despite it all still seems to think the rules do not apply to him was admonished by the judge for using his cell phone in the courtroom.. PROOF was inside that very room and it was more than crystal clear that phones were not to be used at all. 

Jury selection is set to continue for another week–it will not be an easy task but it will get done and then the trial will start in earnest. Though, his lawyers are grabbing at every little opening they see to have the case dismissed or delayed. In fact, when news came out that sexual assault charges were being filed against Weinstein in Los Angeles, they asked that the the New York case be continued because the jury pool was being prejudiced by this new information flooding media platforms. 

Justice James Burke, the judge presiding over the New York case denied the request ruling that the LA charges were “next to meaningless” regarding the New York case. Bottom line continued Burke,  jurors were being selected through a proper jury selection process and Weinstein, like all defendants, was presumed innocent despite news coverage.

Weinstein is facing five counts of felony sex crimes: two counts of predatory sexual assault, criminal sexual act in the third degree, first-degree rape and third-degree rape. He faces life imprisonment should the jury convict him of predatory rape. 

Working Out the Details: Harvey Weinstein’s Divorce Settlement

Amidst allegations of sexual misconduct that set off a chain reaction in Hollywood, government and sports, Georgina Chapman decided to leave her husband Harvey Weinstein. This was back in October 2017, when the depth of breadth of the allegations had not yet been realized (perhaps she knew what was coming). Now, nearly three months later, it appears Chapman has reached a settlement with the disgraced film producer.

When she announced her separation, Chapman made it clear that caring for her young children was her top priority. The pair share two children, India Pearl, 7 years old and Dashiell, 4 years old. Apparently, Georgina will receive primary custody of them. Given the nature of the allegations against Weinstein, he would not have been victorious had he fought this matter. It was certainly in the best interest of his children for Weinstein not to fight this.

And just how much is Chapman going to get? Not surprising, the couple had a prenuptial agreement. That’s a good thing as it has likely made things easier. Apparently, the terms of the prenup provided that Chapman receive $300,000 a year in spousal support for their first nine years of marriage. If the couple stayed married 10 years that number increased by another $100,000 a year. Weinstein and Chapman’s 10 year anniversary was December 15, 2017 so Chapman made it to ten years (unless, of course, in the prenup, “married” was defined differently). Though big numbers are being batted about– somewhere between 12 and 20 million– the actual terms of the financial settlement and distribution of assets has not been revealed.  Rest assured Chapman is getting a good chunk of change (and we kinda like that after all she has had to endure).

Weinstein also recently faced legal issues with his ex wife, Eve Chilton (fun fact: Chilton was Weinstein’s assistant). In December 2017, she went to court in New York and asked the judge to order Weinstein to pre-pay the remaining approximately 5 million he allegedly owes for the children they share. Why? Chilton alleges that Weinstein asked to suspend his child support payments for at least one year due to the allegations and legal matters.  The judge denied Chilton’s request because Weinstein has kept up his payment and not yet fallen behind.  Those lawyer fees don’t come cheap so perhaps Chilton will be back in court on this matter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scroll to Top