Three plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit lodged against convicted sex-offender Harvey Weinstein have voluntarily dropped the case under an agreement with insurers, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The lawsuit was filed in 2017 by six women who also named a network of those in the entertainment industry, lawyers, and journalists, who allegedly concealed the abuse and intimidated victims of Weinstein. The class action lawsuit faced nearly complete dismissal in 2018 when a federal judge rejected all but one of the claims.
Three plaintiffs, Louisette Geiss, Sarah Ann Thomas, and Melissa Thompson reportedly dropped their claims voluntarily after negotiating with The Weinstein Company’s insurers who are handling the bankruptcy of the disgraced movie mogul’s company since he was convicted and sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for sex crimes.
Geiss, Thomas, and Thompson will be entitled to a greater share of a $17 million settlement fund set up by the insurers under the terms of their agreement to drop the class action allegations, reports The Hollywood Reporter. In addition, the former plaintiffs will be given the option to revive the litigation should the fund fail to payout within 120 days.
“By virtue of dismissing their cases against Mr. Weinstein and seeking finality by way of settlement in the bankruptcy court, the Plaintiffs in this case are taking advantage of the most certain recovery, in that they do not subject their accusations, that Mr. Weinstein denies, to the scrutiny of further discovery and trial, or confront an uncollectible judgment due to financial concerns,” Weinstein’s attorney told The Hollywood Reporter.
The remaining plaintiffs are reportedly planning to appeal the settlement agreement, pointing out that board members of Weinstein’s company are protected from legal action in the deal.
The six plaintiffs in this class action lawsuit sought to represent not only women who were sexually assaulted by Weinstein, but also those who may have “escaped” a physical assault.
The Weinstein sexual assault class action lawsuit called the alleged network of individuals and businesses that were complicit in covering up Weinstein’s actions the “Weinstein Sexual Enterprise,” and claim that this unofficial group is liable under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
What do you think about the plaintiffs dropping out of the Weinstein sexual assault class action lwasuit for a bigger share of the settlement fund? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below!
The proposed Class in the Weinstein class action lawsuit is represented by Elizabeth A. Fagan, Emily Brown, Steve W. Berman, Shelby Smith, and Jason Zweig of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP.
The Weinstein Sexual Assault Class Action Lawsuit is Geiss, et al. v. The Weinstein Co. Holdings LLC, et al., Case No. 1:17-cv-09554, in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.
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