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Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood megaproducer accused of sexual harassment and assault dating back decades, has been slapped with a civil rights lawsuit by New York's attorney general. Eric Schneiderman announced the suit Sunday, saying his office has sued not only Weinstein, but also his brother, Robert, and The Weinstein Company.

, The Weinstein Company repeatedly broke New York law by failing to protect its employees from pervasive sexual harassment, intimidation, and discrimination," Schneiderman said in a statement.


"Any sale of The Weinstein Company must ensure that victims will be compensated, employees will be protected going forward, and that neither perpetrators nor enablers will be unjustly enriched. Every New Yorker has a right to a workplace free of sexual harassment, intimidation, and fear."


The lawsuit also threatens to disrupt a reported $500 million sale of the company the Weinstein brothers co-founded in 2005. 

, former Obama administration official Maria Contreras-Sweet had been in weeks-long negotiations to buy the troubled organization and set up a proposed fund for Weinstein's alleged victims.
The 

 notes the deal was expected to be inked Sunday and announced later this week, but Schneiderman reportedly has expressed strong reservations:



It has been roughly four months since a 

 against Harvey Weinstein, detailing a decades-long record of claims against the producer ranging from harassment to rape. Since then, 

 investigation of Weinstein and multiple police departments have opened probes into the allegations.
At the same time, the allegations helped 

.
Weinstein has apologized for some of his behavior, but "he denies many of the accusations as patently false," Weinstein lawyer Lisa Bloom 

report.
Schneiderman's office says the lawsuit "is the result of an ongoing four month investigation" into Weinstein and the company he co-founded. The office says the investigation uncovered "egregious violations of New York's civil rights, human rights, and business laws."  Copyright 2019 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Crime, Law and Justice

Colin Dwyer

Author

The lawsuit also threatens to disrupt a reported $500 million sale of the company the Weinstein brothers co-founded in 2005.

Harvey Weinstein, his brother and their company hit with civil rights lawsuit

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