New Details Surface on How Harvey Weinstein Covered Up Sexual Assault Incidents

AKA here are more reasons to hate Harvey Weinstein.

Harvey Weinstein attends 2016 amfAR New York Gala
Getty

Image via Getty/Michael Stewart

Harvey Weinstein attends 2016 amfAR New York Gala

In the shadows of Time calling the "silence breakers" putting sexual abusers on blast as the person(s) of the year comes another explosive report from Ronan Farrow for the New York Times. This one highlights the agencies and organizations that were complicit in keeping Weinstein's fuckery hidden from the mainstream.

High on that list was the National Enquirer. Farrow described situations where the gossip publication would engage in "catch and kill" missions to purchase exclusive rights to negative stories on Weinstein, effectively silencing the accusers in the process. It ultimately worked, until it reportedly didn't. While unconfirmed, some say Ambra Battilana was asking for more than American Media (which owns the National Enquirer and was working on a project with Weinstein's company) was willing to pay, making it easier for that story to reach the public. Weinstein is also said to have floated the idea of paying then–New York Daily News writer A.J. Benza $20,000 a month to throw the names of his enemies into the mud, or to just push stories that would hide his own transgressions.

It didn't stop there, though; Farrow also exposed how multiple agents at CAA (which is one of the more powerful talent agencies in the business) heard stories of their client's interactions with Weinstein, but were still sent to meet with him, usually alone in his hotel rooms. These weren't just random actresses, either; Gwyneth Paltrow couldn't escape Weinstein's harassment. She was advised not to talk about Weinstein cornering her in a hotel room, and even though she didn't sleep with him, Weinstein is said to have bragged about sleeping with her for years, many times in an effort to sleep with other women.

Unsurprisingly, another lawsuit for Weinstein is on the horizon. Six women (Louisette Geiss, Katherine Kendall, Zoe Brock, Sarah Ann Masse, Melissa Sagemiller, and Nannette Klatt) released a statement along with a potential class action suit, saying "Harvey Weinstein is a predator. Bob knew it. The board knew it. The lawyers knew it. The private investigators knew it. Hollywood knew it. We knew it. Now the world knows it." These all sound like facts, and are just part of the 77-page filing.

No concrete details on this suit have been released as of yet, but judging by what's continuing to come out about Weinstein, it's bound to be just as disturbing as the hundreds of other stories.

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