Harvey Weinstein has hired attorney Patricia Glaser to wage a legal fight with the Weinstein Co. board.
Weinstein was fired for cause on Sunday, three days after the New York Times’ bombshell report on decades of sexual harassment allegations against him. The board concluded that Weinstein had violated the company’s code of ethics, allegedly by trying to intimidate employees into not cooperating with an independent investigation. Weinstein denies that allegation.
Weinstein, who signed a three-year contract in 2015, has alleged that the firing could be illegal. It would be unusual if Weinstein were to go so far as to sue the company, in which he holds a 22% equity stake. But Glaser may seek a significant payment in exchange for settling potential claims for breach of contract.
Glaser did not immediately return Variety‘s requests for comment. In a comment to the Hollywood Reporter, she said, “We hope to work it out… However, we will do whatever we have to do to properly protect his rights vis a vis the company.”
Glaser, partner at Glaser Weil, represented “bond king” Bill Gross, who filed a wrongful termination suit in 2015 after he was ousted from PIMCO. Star litigator David Boies, who is also now working for Weinstein, represented PIMCO in that case. Glaser also filed a wrongful termination suit on behalf of newscaster Keith Olbermann after he was fired from Current TV.
Weinstein has denied many of the sexual allegations against him, including allegations that he forced women to engage in sexual activity. His media attorney, Charles Harder, threatened to sue the Times last week, but since then there has been no indication that Weinstein will follow through on that threat.
