Harvey Weinstein apologises following sexual harassment claims: 'I regret what happened'
HARVEY WEINSTEIN has issued an apology for the way he "behaved with colleagues in the past" following a report in The New York Times which made a number of sexual harassment claims against him.
Harvey Weinstein has apologised following sexual harassment claims
The 65-year-old movie mogul made the statement yesterday, claiming he will take a leave of absence from his company while seeking help from therapists.
Although his apology did not refer to any incident in particular, he wrote: "I appreciate the way I've behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologise for it.
"My journey now will be to learn about myself and conquer my demons. I so respect all women and regret what happened.
Harvey said in a statement: 'I so respect all women and regret what happened'
I cannot be more remorseful about the people I hurt and I plan to do right by all of them
"I cannot be more remorseful about the people I hurt and I plan to do right by all of them," Weinstein added.
The lengthy statement concluded with a promise to continue organising "a $5 million foundation to give scholarships to women directors at USC", which Weinstein says will be named after his mother.
However, his lawyer, Lisa Bloom, told the BBC in a separate statement that he denies many of the New York Times' allegations against him, describing them as "patently false".
The attorney said: "He has acknowledged mistakes he has made. He is reading books and going to therapy. He is an old dinosaur learning new ways."
Another of Weinstein's lawyers, Charlers J Harder, said of the article: "The New York Times published today a story that is saturated with false and defamatory statements about Harvey Weinstein.
"It relies on mostly hearsay accounts and a faulty report, apparently stolen from an employee personnel file, which has been debunked by nine different eyewitnesses."
He added: "We sent the Times the facts and evidence, but they ignored it and rushed to publish. We are preparing the lawsuit now. All proceeds will be donated to women’s organizations."
However, a spokesperson for The New York Times insisted that they are "confident in the accuracy of [their] reporting".
Express.co.uk has contacted a representative for Harvey Weinstein asking for comment.