Federal judge rejects $18.9M Harvey Weinstein settlement citing inability to certify victims as a class News
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Federal judge rejects $18.9M Harvey Weinstein settlement citing inability to certify victims as a class

A US District Court judge has rejected an $18.9M class-action settlement with Harvey Weinstein’s former studio, The Weinstein Company (TWC).

Judge Alvin Hellerstein of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York Tuesday dismissed the idea that the victims of Weinstein could be certified as a class, citing distinctions in the cases of individual victims. He said that “women who have been raped are entitled to a much greater recovery than those who just met him.”

The judge also expressed criticism of the $12.2M set aside by the settlement to reimburse Weinstein and his company’s Board of Directors for legal costs ahead of the claimants calling the decision “obnoxious.”

The suit dates back to December 2017 with screenwriter Louisette Geiss as the lead plaintiff. New York Attorney General Letitia James had in June previously announced that the lawsuits had been settled for $18.9M.

A full memorandum setting out the entire rationale behind the denial is still forthcoming.

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