New York Times sues Weinstein Co over bills

NEW YORK • Six women and The New York Times Co are suing The Weinstein Co, according to legal complaints filed on Wednesday.

The Times said the film studio owed it US$229,567.68 (S$310,000) for print advertisements that ran in the national and New York editions of the newspaper, according to the complaint filed in New York state Supreme Court. The advertisements featured Weinstein Co films including Tulip Fever (2017), Wind River (2017) and Leap! (2016).

It is not uncommon for The Times to turn to the courts to extract payment from advertisers. The organisation has filed 27 such collection actions in court this year.

The complaint was filed a day after The Times published its latest investigation into film mogul Harvey Weinstein, co-founder of The Weinstein Co who has been accused by dozens of women of sexual misconduct, including rape.

On Oct 5, The Times first published the allegations against Weinstein. Three days later, The Weinstein Co fired him.

On Wednesday, the company was also sued for racketeering by six women who claimed it helped facilitate and conceal "widespread sexual misconduct" by Weinstein.

The women are actresses or screenwriters who claim they were assaulted or mistreated by the producer after meeting him for auditions or to pitch projects.

"Plaintiffs, and hundreds of other females like them, found themselves with Weinstein on the casting couch at offices, in hotel rooms, in his homes or in rooms at industry functions," actress Louisette Geiss and the other women said in the complaint.

The company, its directors and Miramax, the studio Weinstein formerly ran, helped enable his conduct, they said.

NYTIMES, BLOOMBERG

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 08, 2017, with the headline New York Times sues Weinstein Co over bills. Subscribe