Harvey Weinstein Expresses ‘Regret,’ Moves To Sue The New York Times Anyway
Despite his lengthy expression of “regret” after sexual assault and harassment allegations against him surfaced, film executive Harvey Weinstein is suing The New York Times, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it,” Weinstein wrote in a statement to the Times. “Though I’m trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go. That is my commitment. My journey now will be to learn about myself and conquer my demons.”
“I so respect all women and regret what happened,” he added.
Not long after the Times published an exposé on Thursday detailing the sexual assault allegations against Weinstein, attorney Charles Harder told THR he’s preparing a lawsuit on the producer’s behalf.
“The New York Times published today a story that is saturated with false and defamatory statements about Harvey Weinstein,” Harder said in a statement to HuffPost. “It relies on mostly hearsay accounts and a faulty report, apparently stolen from an employee personnel file, which has been debunked by 9 different eyewitnesses.”
“We sent the Times the facts and evidence, but they ignored it and rushed to publish,” the statement read. “We are preparing the lawsuit now. All proceeds will be donated to women’s organizations.”
Harder has represented high-profile clients like the wrestler Hulk Hogan, whose lawsuit eventually shuttered Gawker.com. He is also currently representing Gregory “International” Scherick, who runs a therapy group called Superstar Machine, in a lawsuit against Jezebel, Gawker’s sister site.
After the Times published its story, Weinstein told the New York Post that he was suing “because of the Times’ inability to be honest with me, and their reckless reporting. They told me lies. They made assumptions.”
He blamed allegations of sexual harassment on his “temper.”
“I also have the worst temper known to mankind, my system is all wrong, and sometimes I create too much tension,” he told the Post. “I lose it, and I am emotional, that’s why I’ve got to spend more time with a therapist and go away. My temper makes people feel intimidated, but I don’t even know when I’m doing it.”
Weinstein also claimed that his attempts to “compliment people” had been misinterpreted as “sexual.”
“I won’t do that again,” he said, adding, “I admit to a whole way of behavior that is not good. I can’t talk specifics, but I put myself in positions that were stupid, I want to respect women and do things better.”
This story has been updated with Weinstein’s comments to the New York Post.
If you have more information about Harvey Weinstein, send us an email: scoops@huffingtonpost.com.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
