As sexual violence allegations against Harvey Weinstein continue to mount, the Hollywood executive has restructured his legal team in preparation for criminal investigations.
Former Hollywood Reporter editor Janice Min told CNN's "Reliable Sources" that Charles Harder, who she referred to as "media's Darth Vader," is no longer a member of Weinstein's legal team. According to Min, there's a "huge sense of relief" in Hollywood now that the sexual misconduct allegations have been made public.
"[People are] truly mystified that it took this long for all of this to come out, and that includes both media and executives in town," Min told CNN, adding that previous attempts by alleged victims and reporters were stonewalled by legal threats from Weinstein's team.
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Harder's departure signals a change in strategy for Weinstein: Instead of fending off the investigations of media outlets, he's now preparing to defend himself in criminal investigations. As of Sunday October 15, London police are investigating sexual violence reports made by two women.
As reported by CNN, two criminal defense attorneys, Blair Berk and David Chesnoff, are now members of Weinstein's legal team.
Meanwhile, litigator Patty Glaser is disputing Weinstein's termination from The Weinstein Company, which was announced last Sunday.
Weinstein has been ousted from the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and both The Producers Guild of America and The Television Academy are expected to reassess his status this week.
"Our view has been this alleged behavior is abhorrent and appalling. We expect this to be discussed at our Board Of Governors meeting this Thursday evening," the TV Academy said in a statement.
The fallout within The Weinstein Company continues. The release of its next film, The Current War, has been postponed and upcoming TV projects with Amazon have been cancelled altogether.
"My opinion is that The Weinstein Company as it sits today, is done," the company's chief operating officer, David Glasser, told Deadline. "The reality is, in its current form, the name, the brand has been completely torpedoed and destroyed. I do feel there are probably other incarnations we have to look at."
Weinstein's brother, Bob, confirmed that the company is planning a name change but maintained that it will remain up and running. "[T]here is a plan to come out on the other side," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "And also the other side that makes the public rightfully feel happy that what Harvey stood for exists no longer. The public deserves that. The victims deserve that. Everybody deserves that."
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