And then there were three.
The Weinstein Company board of directors lost its fifth member on Thursday as Richard Koenigsberg stepped down, just hours after a story in The New York Times disputed claims made by founder Bob Weinstein to employees that he had no idea about his brother’s sexual harassment and assault of multiple women.
Lance Maerov, the board member who handled contract negotiations, admitted that he was aware of multiple payouts made by Harvey back in 2015 and even put a clause in place that would have forced the embattled movie mogul to pay stiff penalties for any future settlements.
The first settlement would have cost Harvey, or any other top executive, $250,000, while the second would go up to $500,000, the third $750,000 and the fourth would require a $1 million penalty payment.
These penalties are higher than any of the reported amounts his alleged victims received in their settlements.
Fall from grace: Five of the nine members on the board of directors for The Weinstein Company have now stepped down (Harvey and Bob Weinstein above in 2009)
Stay or should he go: Accountant Richard Koenigsberg (left) left the board shortly after a Times story disputed a statement claiming members were unaware of harassment payouts (Tarak Ben Ammar on left remains)
Hello I must be going: Billionaire publishing heir Dirk Ziff (above with wife Natasha in 2007) was one of the first to leave over the weekend
Harvey’s contract came up for renewal in late 2015, with a lawyer telling the board that there was no legal concern to resigning the company founder.
Negotiations began however around the same time that Italian model Ambra Battilana very publicly accused the executive of groping her and sticking a hand under her skirt during a meeting at his office.
She reportedly reveived a settlement just before Harvey renewed his contract in 2015, saving him a $250,000 penalty payment.
Koenigsberg’s decision to leave the board and Harvey’s termination by the company that bears his name means that Maerov, Bob and Tarak Ben Ammar are the only three members remaining on the once nine-person group.
Deputy CEO of Technicolor Tim Sarnoff and Avenue Capital Group CEO Marc Lasry were the first to go over the weekend, followed very quickly by billionaire publishing heir Dirk Siff.
Billionaire investor Paul Tudor Jones also made his exit over the weekend, just days before a second bombshell expose by the New Yorker revealed more allegations or harassment and assault.
Then, on Sunday night, the fifth member of the board was ousted when the five remaining men voted to terminate Harvey from the company.
The reaming four members did their best to distance themselves from the scandal in the days that followed, while actress Rose McGowan very publicly declared that they should all resign.
McGowan, who on Thursday accused Harvey Weinstein of raping her, received a settlement from the mogul in 1997 for $100,000 according to the Times, and has accused Bob of being aware of his brother’s predatory behavior.
Bye: Technicolor Production Services President Tim Sarnoff left over the weekend
Gone: Marc Lasry (left) and Paul Tudor Jones (rigth) are now out
Staying: Lance Maerov (on left with Will Maerov) attend Magrino PR 25th Anniversary
The board released a statement on Tuesday that stated they were unaware of Harvey’s harassment and alleged assaults of over 30 women, a claim they then reiterated during a company meeting later in the week.
‘The Weinstein Company’s Board of Representatives – Bob Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar – are shocked and dismayed by the recently emerged allegations of extreme sexual misconduct and sexual assault by Harvey Weinstein,’ read the statement.
‘These alleged actions are antithetical to human decency. These allegations come as an utter surprise to the Board. Any suggestion that the Board had knowledge of this conduct is false.’
Bob and company president David Glasser then told employees Thursday that they were unaware of any payments made by Harvey over the years.
Maerov said that he did know of payouts but had assumed they were following consensual affairs.
The fact that Weinstein was married to designer Georgina Chapman apparently did not raise any red flag for Maerov, suggesting that the board at least knew of Harvey’s sexual indiscretions.
David Boes, a lawyer for Weinstein, also stated that the company knew of at least three settlements that Weinstein made to women.
Meanwhile, the lawyer who reviewed Weinstein’s file in 2015 admitted to coming across the sexual harassment complaint made one year prior by temporary employee Emily Nestor.
The Times reported earlier this week that Nestor received a settlement after filing a complaint against Harvey when he allegedly told the young woman he could advance her career in exchange for sexual favors.
It is not clear however if that lawyer, H. Rodgin Cohen, told the board about Nestor.
He did however say it was ‘legally safe to retain’ Harvey.
The moral complications however have left the board and company in disarray, with Harvey and Bob still holding a 42 percent stake.