Weinstein Accusers, Creditors Vote in Favor of Settlement Plan

Nearly 40 women with sexual misconduct claims against Harvey Weinstein voted to accept the settlement deal that’s been presented as part of The Weinstein Company’s bankruptcy proceedings.

The proposed settlement includes a $17 million sexual misconduct claims fund that will be divided by a claims examiner using a point system. It also includes another $8.4 million for bankruptcy claims not related to sexual misconduct. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Mary F. Walrath in November approved the protocols to send the deal to the accusers for a vote.

The deadline to file a ballot was December 18, and afterward attorneys from Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones reviewed each of them to verify that the person had alleged conduct that would give rise to a sexual misconduct claim, according to a report filed with the court on Thursday. The lawyers used documents attached to the claims themselves as well as things like publicly filed complaints, news articles and media interviews to evaluate the claims. If they couldn’t immediately verify that the person had a valid claim, they requested a meeting to confirm the person was eligible to vote.

According to court documents, 48 people with sexual misconduct claims cast ballots and 39 of them voted in favor of the deal. Three of the ballots were deemed invalid, two in favor of the deal and one opposed. Either way, the approval rate is above 82 percent.

Of the 84 ballots cast by those with general unsecured claims against the company, 81 accepted the proposed plan.

Attorneys for multiple women who accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct have publicly criticized the settlement, and several of them filed a formal objection to the deal. A confirmation hearing is currently set for January 14.

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