Harvey Weinstein has been sacked from his own company after he was accused of sexually harassing a number of female employees for almost three decades.
The 65-year-old film producer – who has previously worked on a number of Oscar-winning movies, such as ‘Shakespeare in Love and ‘The King’s Speech’ – has been fired by the board of his firm The Weinstein Company, which he co-founded with his brother Bob Weinstein in 2005, "in light of new information about misconduct".
The statement issued read: "In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company — Robert Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar — have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately."
Weinstein’s firing comes just days after he admitted to behaving inappropriately with some of his female colleagues in the past and apologised for causing them "pain".
He said at the time: "I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologise for it."
However, the Hollywood powerhouse has denied claims published by the New York Times newspaper earlier this month that he had harassed at least eight female employees over a 30-year time span and has vowed to take legal action.
His lawyer, Lisa Bloom, said: "He has acknowledged mistakes he has made. He is reading books and going to therapy. He is an old dinosaur learning new ways."
But Weinstein was struck yet another blow over the weekend when Ms. Bloom announced her decision to step down as his legal advisor.
She said in a tweet: "I have resigned as an advisor to Harvey Weinstein. My understanding is that Mr Weinstein and his board are moving to an agreement."
Weinstein has been married to London-born fashion designer Georgina Chapman since 2007 and has children Dashiell, four, and India, seven, with her, as well as Ruth, 14, Emma, 19, and Lily, 22, from his marriage with his ex-wife Eve Chilton.
Harvey Weinstein sacked from own company following sexual harassment claims
