Harvey Weinstein has been handed a lifetime ban by the Producers Guild of America, as allegations of sexual assault and harassment continue to be made against the film industry mogul.
The PGA, which represents film, TV and new media producers across the US, announced the decision on 30 October after its board voted unanimously to expel Weinstein.
“In light of Mr Weinstein’s widely reported behaviour, with new reports continuing to surface even now, the Producers Guild’s national board has voted unanimously to enact a lifetime ban on Mr Weinstein, permanently barring him from PGA membership,” the statement said. “This unprecedented step is a reflection of the seriousness with which the guild regards the numerous reports of Mr Weinstein’s decades of reprehensible conduct. Sexual harassment can no longer be tolerated in our industry or within the ranks of Producers Guild membership.”
The PGA added that Weinstein had opted to resign from the guild on 16 October rather than face expulsion – a decision which a statement from the PGA described as an “unprecedented step”.
The PGA news came as the New York Times detailed four additional allegations of sexual misconduct against the producer, two of which date to the 1970s. Hope Exiner d’Amore claims that Weinstein raped her in a hotel in Buffalo, New York, in the 70s, when he was working as a concert promoter. Actor Cynthia Burr, meanwhile, claims that Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex in a hotel hallway in the late 70s.
The New York Times also reported allegations made against Weinstein by dancer Ashley Matthau, who claims that Weinstein sexually assaulted her in 2004 and later paid her $100,000 to prevent her from speaking out. A fourth woman, Lacey Dorn, said that Weinstein grabbed her crotch at a party in 2011. A spokesperson for the producer has said that he “unequivocally denies” all allegations of non-consensual sex.
More than 90 women have alleged assault or harassment by Weinstein, who is being investigated by police in New York, London and Los Angeles. The producer has been expelled by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, while the Directors Guild of America are said to also be in the process of expelling him.
