Harvey Weinstein Accused Of Groping Woman’s Breast During Business Meeting
On Friday night, an unnamed 22-year-old Italian model visited Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein for a business meeting. In the end, the woman has accused him of groping her breasts and asking if they were real.
Weinstein has been questioned by the NYPD and a formal complaint filed; the incident is now being investigated. Following the accusation – made formally a mere two hours after the alleged groping took place — the producer hired a lawyer, the New York Daily News reported.
“We believe this is a blackmail attempt, and [Harvey] did nothing wrong,” a source close to the producer told the Wrap.
The alleged incident took place at the Tribeca Film Center, either in Weinstein’s office or in another part of the building, the Hollywood Reporter added. Evidently, no official events were taking place there Friday night, reported Variety.
The accounts of what allegedly occurred vary. The woman apparently visited him on Thursday and agreed to a second meeting on Friday. Both meetings were made “at his request to talk business,” a police source told the Daily News. It was at the Friday meeting that the producer, 63, is accused of touching the woman’s breast and “private area,” or her thigh or hip.
“He initiated the contact. He saw her and spoke to her. She didn’t know who he was until he approached her.”
With the groping accusation and its associated rumors now making its way through media outlets, the Manhattan District Attorney will handle charges and decide whether or not Weinstein will be formally charged.
Movie lovers will recognize his name, as it’s been attached to high-profile and critically acclaimed films for decades. He founded Miramax with his brother, Bob, in 1979, and in 2005, he started The Weinstein Company. He has numerous films to his credit, including Pulp Fiction, The King’s Speech, The Artist, Shakespeare in Love, and Gangs of New York.
Harvey Weinstein is married and has two children.
[Photo Courtesy Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images]
