Harvey Weinstein has been accused of failing to make good on a promised $450,000 payment to a former Weinstein Company executive in a lawsuit filed by The Weinstein Company’s former human relations director.
In the suit, former TWC human resources head Frank Gil says that on October 6, 2017 — the day after the publication of the New York Times article detailing accusations of sexual misconduct against the mogul — Harvey Weinstein promised to pay that amount if Gil was able to find out who leaked internal TWC documents to the Times.
Gil says he identified TWC chairman Bob Weinstein and TWC president David Glasser as the individuals behind the leak, and that he also discovered Glasser had received unspecified “illicit payments”; Gil accuses the two of firing him in retaliation. Evidence for these assertions is not included in the filing.
Gil is suing Weinstein Live Entertainment, Harvey Weinstein and Bob Weinstein, and Glasser for breach of contract and retaliation. He is seeking a jury trial, unspecified damages and payment of legal expenses. Representatives for the Weinsteins did not immediately respond to requests for comment from TheWrap.
The new lawsuit follows reports that Weinstein’s attorney, Jose Baez, sent a letter to the New York State Supreme Court asking to be removed as counsel on the sexual assault trial that is set to begin in September. “Mr. Weinstein has engaged in behavior that makes this representation unreasonably difficult to carry out effectively and has insisted upon taking actions with which I have fundamental disagreements,” Baez wrote.
More than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault. In May 2018, he was charged by New York prosecutors for “rape, criminal sex act, sex abuse and sexual misconduct for incidents involving two separate women,” with other investigations opened into claims made in Los Angeles and London. Weinstein has consistently denied all wrongdoing.
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.