Attorney Charles Harder has withdrawn from the legal team of Harvey Weinstein after previously threatening to sue the New York Times over its reports that the movie producer had been the target of sexual harassment complaints, said a source familiar with the matter on Sunday.
The New York Times reported on October 5 that Weinstein, 65, had reached eight previously undisclosed settlements with women who accused him of sexual harassment and unwanted physical contact. The New Yorker magazine then reported on October 10 that 13 women claimed Weinstein sexually harassed or assaulted them.
Weinstein has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone.
When the New York Times report that included claims spanning over 30 years was published, Weinstein released an initial statement to the paper apologising for his behaviour. Harder subsequently put out a statement saying the newspaper’s story was defamatory because it relied on “mostly hearsay accounts and a faulty report.”
The source confirmed Harder had withdrawn from representing Weinstein on Tuesday but did not give further details. A representative for Weinstein, Sallie Hofmeister, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Harder is most well-known for representing professional wrestler Hulk Hogan who sued Gawker Media LLC, which previously owned Gawker.com, for defamation and won a $140 million (Dh514.11 million) judgement against the online news and gossip website.
Weinstein’s accusers include actress Gwyneth Paltrow, who said she was sexually harassed by the film producer more than 20 years ago, and actress and director Angelina Jolie, who told the publication that she “had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth and as a result chose never to work with him again.”
