Before Firing, Harvey Weinstein Asked Film Insiders to Defend Him<br />“In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein<br />that has emerged in the past few days,” the statement said, he had been “terminated, effective immediately.” The action was taken by Bob Weinstein, the company’s co-chairman and Mr. Weinstein’s brother, and three other board members.<br />The accusations, which were uncovered in a New York Times investigation published on Thursday, stretched back decades<br />and came from actresses, as well as former employees at the Weinstein Company and Miramax, the previous company founded by Mr. Weinstein and his brother<br />“If the industry supports me, that is all I need.”<br />Mr. Weinstein added, “We believe what the board is trying to do is not only wrong but might be illegal and would destroy the company.”<br />Mr. Weinstein’s pleas were for naught.<br />The firing was an escalation from Friday, when one-third of the company’s nine-member, all-male board resigned and four members who remained announced<br />that Mr. Weinstein would take a leave of absence while an outside lawyer investigated the allegations.
