Victims Dismissed Their Claims Against Harvey Weinstein as Part of the $17M Settlement Plan
Louisette Geiss, Sarah Ann Thomas, and Melissa Thompson have voluntarily dismissed their claims against Harvey Weinstein. The move from the three women who accused the disgraced movie mogul of sexual misconduct comes in the wake of a settlement plan that was approved in January by a Delaware judge overseeing the bankruptcy of The Weinstein Company.
Geiss, Thomas, and Thompson were the lead plaintiffs in an attempted class action against many individuals allegedly involved in the Weinstein scandal. A racketeering complaint targeted not just Weinstein but also board members of his former company as well as Miramax. Then, on April 18, 2019, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein gutted the putative class action by rejecting 17 of 18 claims — all but a sex trafficking count against Weinstein, later convicted of sex crimes and sentenced to 23 years in prison.
Weinstein Co. insurers then worked with stakeholders on a settlement — one that established a $17 million sexual misconduct claims fund for victims. Importantly, though, the stakeholders involved in the bankruptcy (including the NY AG office) lacked power to get the women to drop claims against Harvey Weinstein. At least not directly. Instead, his accusers were incentivized.
