Harvey Weinstein timeline: Key moments in Hollywood scandal

The scandal surrounding Harvey Weinstein erupted on October 5 last year, with the publication in The New York Times of a first series of accusations from women who claimed to have been harassed or assaulted by the movie mogul.

Since that time, more than 100 women - A-list stars, aspiring actresses, filmmakers, models, massage therapists and more - have accused Weinstein of everything from questionable comments to assault and rape.

But many of the cases date back more than a decade, meaning they are difficult or even impossible to prosecute.

Numerous civil suits have been filed against Weinstein and his production firm The Weinstein Company, which has been accused of facilitating his predatory behavior. Friday could mark the first time he faces criminal charges.

Here the key moments of the scandal that rocked Hollywood and sparked a global movement against sexual harassment.

October 5, 2017

The New York Times publishes a bombshell investigative report featuring numerous on-the-record accusations against Weinstein over a period of nearly three decades. Actresses Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan are the highest-profile accusers.

The Times reveals that Weinstein reached non-disclosure agreements in exchange for money with at least eight women, in order to guarantee their silence.

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In a statement, Weinstein says: "I appreciate the way I've behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologise for it." His lawyer adds that he "denies many of the accusations as patently false."

The board of The Weinstein Company, which he controls with his brother Bob, ousts him a few days later.

October 10

Italian actress and filmmaker Asia Argento tells The New Yorker that Weinstein raped her in 1997. Two other women also accused him of sexual assault.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Rosanna Arquette join the list of women accusing Weinstein of harassment.

A spokeswoman for Weinstein says he denies all accusations of non-consensual sex.

Weinstein's wife announces she is leaving him, describing his behaviour as "unforgivable". British fashion designer Georgina Chapman says her "heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain".

October 14

The board of governors of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences, the institution that awards the Oscars, convenes in emergency session and votes to expel Weinstein, whose films had earned dozens of Oscars over the years.

As the weeks go by, more and more women go public with accusations against Weinstein, either on social media or directly to television cameras.

33 Hollywood stars who have spoken out about Harvey Weinstein

Other Hollywood celebrities come under a gloomy spotlight as well: actor Kevin Spacey and director/producer Brett Ratner are among those accused.

October 16

Thousands of women identify themselves as victims of sexual harassment or assault following a call to action propelled by actress Alyssa Milano in the wake of Weinstein's downfall.

Milano passed along a suggestion from a friend that women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted post "me too" to "give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem."

The #metoo campaign quickly trended on Twitter and Facebook, with notable names like Lady Gaga, Monica Lewinsky and Rosario Dawson identifying themselves as victims. Others shared personal stories.

October 31

It emerges that police in the UK are looking at allegations of sexual assault from seven women against Weinstein.

Officers have received 11 separate allegations of sexual assault on dates ranging from the 1980s to 2015. Two are said to have taken place outside of the UK.

The seventh alleged victim went to police on October 28 saying she was assaulted in Westminster in 1994.

On October 26 another woman said she was assaulted outside of the UK in 2012 and in Westminster in 2013 and 2014.

Scotland Yard did not name Weinstein but confirmed officers from Met's Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command are investigating allegations of sexual assault from seven victims under Operation Kaguyak.

November 3

Criminal inquiries into Weinstein's behaviour are carried out by police in London, New York and Los Angeles.

But on November 3, the New York Police Department confirms they are looking into a credible claim of rape made against Weinstein by actress Paz de la Huerta, who accuses the producer of raping her twice at her New York apartment in late 2010.

"We have an actual case here," NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce tells a news conference.

A few days later, The New Yorker reveals that Weinstein paid journalists and former spies including ex-agents of Israel's Mossad to keep his accusers from going public or to keep them quiet. Weinstein hires celebrity defense attorney Ben Brafman.

December 14

Salma Hayek accuses Weinstein of sexually harassing and threatening to kill her, writing for the first time of the horrors she was subjected to while she was starring in and producing Frida.

Hayek, 51, publishes a harrowing op-ed in The New York Times entitled "Harvey Weinstein is my monster too", detailing the abuse she was subjected to while trying to produce the 2002 biopic of Frida Kahlo.

"Harvey Weinstein was a passionate cinephile, a risk taker, a patron of talent in film, a loving father and a monster," she writes. "For years, he was my monster."

A spokesman for Weinstein said: "All of the sexual allegations as portrayed by Salma are not accurate and others who witnessed the events have a different account of what transpired."

January 1, 2018

Three hundred Hollywood women launch a new group to tackle the sexual harassment problems revealed by the Weinstein scandal. 

Reese Witherspoon, Eva Longoria, Emma Stone and Natalie Portman are among the actresses, movie executives and writers backing the ‘Time’s Up’ campaign group.

A $13m dollar legal fund will help “less privileged women” who are the victims of sexual misconduct get justice.  Film stars are also being urged to wear black at the Golden Globes this month to show solidarity and speak out against inequality on the red carpet. 

The group places a full page advert in the The New York Times and La Opinion, a Spanish-language newspaper, calling for action.

February 3, 2018

British police investigating Weinstein say they received two further allegations of sexual assault.

A woman alleged the disgraced movie mogul assaulted her in Westminster in 2011 while a separate alleged incident took place in 2010 outside the UK.

Scotland Yard says it received the new reports in November but they have only now been made public, it brings bring the total number of women who have reported Weinstein to British police to nine.

May 24

Several US media outlets report that Weinstein will surrender to authorities in New York the following day, May 25, and that he is likely to be charged.

The exact charges are unknown, but the New York Daily News reports that he will face charges in connection with at least one of his accusers, onetime aspiring actress Lucia Evans, who says he forced her to perform oral sex on him in 2004.