$44 million! Weinstein sexual assault case may end in settlement

The sexual assault case against former movie mogul and Weinstein Company co-founder Harvey Weinstein may finally be settled. According to the latest news from The New York Times: Weinstein's lawyers have reached a $44 million settlement with the plaintiff's lawyers and New York prosecutors, with $30 million paid to victims and Weinstein Company employees who were harmed by bankruptcy, and the remaining $14 million for attorney fees.

In May 2018, Weinstein was charged with two counts of rape and one count of criminal sexual conduct, facing first-degree criminal sexual offense charges and second-degree predatory sexual assault charges. These charges could bring him 10 years in prison and life in prison. The previous charges against Weinstein carried a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.

After being accused, Weinstein refused to plead guilty and paid $1 million bail. Although more than 80 women accused him of harassment or assault, only a few of them were able to provide strong evidence to bring legal action against him.

Weinstein was not allowed to travel outside of New York or Connecticut during the proceedings and had to surrender his passport and agree to wear a GPS tracker to prevent him from leaving the country before facing trial.

Starting in the fall of 2017, many media outlets, including the New York Times, published long reports exposing Harvey Weinstein's sexual harassment and molestation of female employees over the years. Dozens of female celebrities came forward to expose Weinstein's past sexual harassment and assault, which triggered the #MeToo movement.