Earlier today, The New York Times ran an explosive story alleging decades of sexual harassment at Miramax and The Weinstein Co. at the hands of company boss Harvey Weinstein. The story was not unexpected, as yesterday reports surfaced that Weinstein had hired two well-known attorneys, Lisa Bloom and Charles Harder, in anticipation of its release. (Another planned article on Weinstein in the New Yorker has yet to be published.) Now, Harder—who represented Hulk Hogan in his lawsuit against Gawker, and is currently suing the Gizmodo Media Group in New York state court—tells The Hollywood Reporter that he and Weinstein are planning to sue the NYT.
“The New York Times published today a story that is saturated with false and defamatory statements about Harvey Weinstein,” Harder says. “It relies on mostly hearsay accounts and a faulty report, apparently stolen from an employee personnel file, which has been debunked by nine different eyewitnesses. We sent the Times the facts and evidence, but they ignored it and rushed to publish. We are preparing the lawsuit now. All proceeds will be donated to women’s organizations.”