Schweigegeld: Weinstein paid 250,000 pounds, so assistant says nothing
In the sex scandal around Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, a former assistant of the 65-year-old speaks up. Weinstein silenced her with money, Zelda Perkins told The Financial Times. Weinstein is said to have sexually harassed many women.
Perkins worked for Weinstein in the late 1990s. He was constantly walking around naked and asked her to stay in the room while taking a bath, according to the "FT" report. "I often had to wake him up at the hotel in the morning, then he tried to drag me to bed," the former assistant describes her experiences.
Silence was worth £ 250,000
On another occasion, Weinstein only entered the room in underwear and asked her if she would massage him. When she refused, he offered to massage her. The native Briton finally quit after a colleague told her about a sexual assault. "I was embarrassed by how naive I was," says Perkins.
According to her, the two women turned to a law firm that negotiated a hoax of 250,000 pounds (about 281,000 euros). The sum should divide the two women in equal parts. For this they signed a confidentiality agreement. Legally binding, they promised to say nothing? a promise that Zelda Perkins now consciously broke publicly.
At that time she felt completely isolated, says the Briton:
My whole world has collapsed because I thought the laws are there to protect those who obey them. I came to the conclusion that it had nothing to do with right and wrong and everything with money and power.
In 1998, Perkins initially wanted to make everything public. Weinstein's former company Miramax belonged to Walt Disney. However, her lawyers would have advised the then 24-year-olds to go with their allegations in the boardroom of the company: Without proof their word would weigh no more than that of the Hollywood producer.
"I was warned that he and his lawyers would try to destroy my credibility if I went to court," reports Perkins. "They told me he would try to destroy me and my family."
He denies everything? his company is stumbling
Weinstein dispute all allegations to this day. If he had intercourse with women, this was always done by mutual consent. In the meantime, several police authorities in the US are investigating the producer. Among the women who accuse him of sexual harassment are also many celebrities like Rose McGowan or Ashley Judd.
Weinstein's production company is now reportedly facing an uncertain future: Due to the sex scandal, the company several million-dollar orders have broken away. Weinstein himself is said to be in therapy for his sex addiction.
