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Harvey Weinstein challenging his firing from The Weinstein Company

Harvey Weinstein attends a special advance screening of 'Lion' at The May Fair Hotel on December 6, 2016 in London, England. David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images

Disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein may have nearly 100 women accusing him of sexual harassment and assault, but he doesn’t seem ready to give up his day job just yet.

On Oct. 26, Weinstein quietly served a demand for private arbitration on The Weinstein Company, his former film production house, and claims he was wrongfully dismissed. Weinstein still owns 23 per cent of TWC.

He’s also demanding TWC hand over all personnel and employment records; TWC says that Weinstein is “motivated by an improper, personal purpose” and it’s “not in the company’s best interests for Weinstein to have immediate access to the documents sought.”

READ COURT DOCUMENTS BELOW

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In the filed court claim, Weinstein refers to his many female accusers, and says by accessing the records “he can more efficiently assist the Company in its investigation of these issues and defense of the NY AG [New York attorney general] investigation and any other claims asserted against the Company.”
“Respectfully, TWC does not need [Harvey] Weinstein’s ‘assistance,'” reads the company’s opposition brief to Weinstein, who’s currently under criminal investigation in New York City, Los Angeles and London.

TWC lawyers also argue that Weinstein is trying to skirt the discovery process by heading into a private arbitration.

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READ MORE: Toronto actress suing Harvey Weinstein for sexual assault

Weinstein was fired from TWC last month after allegations of sexual harassment and assault were published in a New York Times exposé. Since then, dozens of other women have claimed Weinstein was sexually inappropriate with them, while 13 are saying he raped them. Through his representative, Weinstein has repeatedly denied all accusations of non-consensual sex.

Weinstein is seeking the documents in order to defend himself and even noted in his claim that his brother, Bob Weinstein, recently used emails for that exact purpose. (Bob Weinstein was accused of sexual harassment in mid-October; his representative denied all accusations of inappropriate behaviour with the accuser.)

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In response to Weinstein’s reference to his brother, TWC made sure to reference the difference between the two men in a footnote.

“To be clear, not a single woman has accused Robert [Bob] Weinstein of sexual assault or rape — let alone of decades of predatory sexual behavior,” the company’s lawyer wrote. “Weinstein’s suggestion that ‘similar’ allegations have been levied against both men is simply false and reveals the true, personal motivation behind the Demand.”

A week after the first allegations against Weinstein came out, Bob Weinstein publicly condemned his brother’s alleged behaviour and said that he had no prior knowledge of the severity of the accusations.

As of this writing, no hearing has been scheduled with the court.

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