A nearly $19 million settlement intended to act as compensation for the victims of Harvey Weinstein has been rejected in a U.S. federal court. The judge overseeing the lawsuit brought against Weinstein and his company back in 2018 has ruled in favour of the victims and their lawyers, who argue that “the settlement terms and conditions were unfair and should never be imposed on sexual assault survivors.”"We were surprised that class counsel and the New York Attorney General did not recognize this fact,”
said lawyer Douglas H. Wigdor, who represents several of Weinstein’s accusers. “We are pleased that Judge Hellerstein swiftly rejected the one-sided proposal. On behalf of our clients, we look forward to pursuing justice against Harvey Weinstein and his many enablers."In addition to providing funds to women who “experienced a hostile work environment, sexual harassment, and gender-based discrimination while working at The Weinstein Company, as well as sexual abuse by Harvey Weinstein,” the rejected settlement would have voided any and all previously signed confidentiality or non-disclosure agreements. What the agreement failed to do, say its detractors, is to hold Weinstein accountable for his actions or force him to accept responsibility for the crimes he has committed and is alleged to have committed.A trio of lawyers for the women released a statement ahead of the judge’s verdict, saying, “The efforts being made to prevent women from continuing with their litigation and holding those responsible for their trauma accountable are simply unprecedented. We are heartened by the growing opposition to this settlement and are hopeful that it will be rejected."Weinstein, currently serving 23 years behind bars following his conviction last March, continues to deny the accusations levelled against him by dozens of women. The former film mogul’s legal team argued that the settlement was the best bet for the victims, saying that Weinstein’s financial outlook was poor. "The practical reality is that outside the settlement the plaintiffs face an uncertain financial recovery, with The Weinstein Company bankrupt, and Mr. Weinstein defending legal matters, facing debt and judgments, frozen assets, and a line of creditors looking for compensation," said one lawyer. "Not only has his personal liberty been taken from him, but his financial liberty as well." Which is, to be fair, a thing that does and should happen after you’re convicted of rape.Weinstein is reported to be going ahead with an appeal of his March conviction while also facing potential prosecution in California for additional charges of rape filed in that state. In the meantime, a spokesperson for New York Attorney General Letitia James said, "Our office has been fighting tirelessly to provide these brave women with the justice they are owed and will continue to do so.”[video_embed id='1920646']RELATED: Reaction to Harvey Weinstein's guilty verdict[/video_embed]
