Weinstein to challenge his firing at next board meeting as company denies buy-out rumors and yet another board member resigns
Harvey Weinstein isn't going down without a fight.
The sex pest movie mogul will reportedly challenge his firing at the next meeting of the Weinstein Company board next Tuesday, TMZ reports.
Weinstein will reportedly call into the meeting from rehab, while his attorney Patty Glasser will plead his case in person. The report said he could check into rehab as early as today.
Weinstein and his attorney will argue that the company didn't have the right to fire him without first going through mediation and arbitration.
He also believes he didn't break his contract because none of the harassment claims happened during his current contract, signed in October 2015.
Meanwhile, a new report in the Wall Street Journal claims that the company is exploring the option of of a buy-out.
The company could sell to new owners and then continue to operate with new management. Or they could shut down and then sell their library piece meal.
However, Harvey's brother Bob, now full chairman of the company, denied the Journal's report.
'Our banks, partners and shareholders are fully supportive of the company and it is untrue that the company or board is exploring a sale or shutdown,' Bob said. 'Business is continuing as usual.'
But it's not, exactly.
There have already been reports that the company is pushing back the release of The Current War, their final prestige film of the season, because of the bad press.
And on Friday, yet another board member resigned, leaving the board with just three members.
Just hours after a story in The New York Times disputed claims made by founder Bob Weinstein to employees that he had no idea about his brother's sexual harassment and assault of multiple women, accountant Richard Koenigsberg stepped down.
Lance Maerov, the board member who handled contract negotiations, admitted that he was aware of multiple payouts made by Harvey back in 2015 and even put a clause in place that would have forced the embattled movie mogul to pay stiff penalties for any future settlements.
Harvey's contract came up for renewal in late 2015, with a lawyer telling the board that there was no legal concern to re-signing the company founder.
Negotiations began around the same time that Italian model Ambra Battilana very publicly accused the executive of groping her and sticking a hand under her skirt during a meeting at his office.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4978166/Fourth-Weinstein-Company-board-member-resigns.html