Ashley Judd & Other Women Accuse Harvey Weinstein Of Sexual Harassment In New Exposé

Harvey Weinstein is taking a leave of absence from his production company The Weinstein Company after a New York Times exposé reports that he “has reached at least eight settlements with women” for sexual harassment. It goes back three decades to find several previously undisclosed allegations.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN SEXUAL HARASSMENT SCANDAL

Ashely Judd is among many women to accuse the famed producer. The exposé, published Thursday, alleges “decades of sexual harassment” by the film mogul. “I said no, a lot of ways, a lot of times, and he always came back at me with some new ask,” Judd told the paper. “It was all this bargaining, this coercive bargaining.”

Judd spoke out about being sexually harassed two decades ago in a Variety article from 2015. At the time, she did not name her attacker, but now she has come forward. “Women have been talking about Harvey amongst ourselves for a long time, and it’s simply beyond time to have the conversation publicly,” she said of her timing.

The Times reports that eight women have shared stories about Weinstein that are similar to Judd’s account. He would appear “nearly or fully naked in front of them, requiring them to be present while he bathed or repeatedly asking for a massage or initiating one himself.” The piece also says Weinstein settled in eight different cases, where payouts have ranged between $80,000 and $150,000

Weinstein, 65, has hired several attorneys and PR consultants in the debacle, including Lisa Bloom and Charles Harder. Bloom described Weinstein as “an old dinosaur learning new ways,” and who uses “words and behaviors can be perceived as inappropriate, even intimidating.”

He has released a statement about the allegations. “I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it,” it reads. “Though I’m trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go… I came of age in the 60’s and 70’s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then.”

In addition to an apology, Weinstein told the paper he was planning a leave of absence from his workplace and will be participating in an activism campaign against the National Rifle Association.