David Glasser, the ousted chief operating officer of the Weinstein Company, announced that he will be suing the company for $85 million just days after he was abruptly fired from his position.
The board of the Weinstein Company dismissed Glasser on Friday, less than a week after he was cited for failing to act on employee harassment complaints.
Glasser is now pursuing a wrongful termination suit, according to his attorney Eve Wagner.
Wagner claims that the board fired Glasser in order to deflect attention from its own role in failing to stop Harvey Weinstein’s sexual harassment, according to Variety.
‘The simple truth is that the board had no grounds to justify his firing,’ Wagner said.
David Glasser (left), the ousted chief operating officer of the Weinstein Company, announced that he will be suing the company for $85 million just days after he was abruptly fired from his position
Wagner said the lawsuit will ‘bring to light facts and evidence to demonstrate that the board acted precipitously and with malice’.
‘We are confident that a complete airing of all of the evidence will show that our client was scapegoated by the TWC Board of Directors.’
In a statement last week, the studio said its board ‘has unanimously voted to terminate David Glasser for cause’. The company has not given a fuller explanation.
The board of the Weinstein Company dismissed Glasser on Friday, less than a week after he was cited for failing to act on employee harassment complaints
Sources told Variety that the board felt Glasser put his own interests ahead of the company’s, and failed to keep the board fully apprised of the attorney general’s investigation.
‘Throughout his tenure at TWC, Mr. Glasser worked tirelessly to protect the employees of the company from Harvey Weinstein’s frequent outbursts,’ she told the news site.
‘Numerous documents and emails clearly show that Mr. Glasser acted appropriately and responsibly whenever allegations of misconduct were brought to his attention,’ Wagner added.
A spokeswoman for the Weinstein Company was unavailable for immediate comment.
Glasser, 46, could not immediately be reached for comment.
On February 11, New York’s Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sued the Weinstein Company and Weinstein alleging years of sexual misconduct by the movie producer.
The civil suit also accused executives of repeatedly failing to protect employees from Weinstein.
Weinstein, 65, was one of Hollywood’s most influential men before more than 70 women accused him of sexual misconduct, including rape.
He has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone.
Schneiderman also said that Glasser, who supervised the company’s human resources department and was in charge of handling dozens of complaints against Weinstein, should not benefit from any sale of the studio.
Schneiderman said Glasser at the time was in line to be chief executive.
The studio was in talks to sell itself to a group of investors led by former Obama administration official Maria Contreras-Sweet, who were hoping to buy the company for approximately $275 million.
They would have assumed the company’s $225 million debt, the New York Times reported.
The deal would also demand that Bob Weinstein, Harvey’s younger brother, leave the studio.
Schneiderman’s lawsuit, however, put the deal negotiations on hold, said people familiar with the matter.
On February 11, New York’s Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (pictured) sued the Weinstein Company and Weinstein alleging years of sexual misconduct by the movie producer
The civil suit also accused executives of repeatedly failing to protect employees from Weinstein. And while it doesn’t mention Glasser (right) by name, his title is listed
His lawsuit details that the company sale would have resulted in people reporting to some of the same managers who ‘failed to investigate’ Harvey Weinstein’s conduct.
Responding to Schneiderman’s lawsuit on February 11, Weinstein’s attorney Ben Brafman said a fair investigation would prove that many of the allegations against his client were without merit.
Back in October, Glasser reportedly told staff: ‘We are going to be OK.’
He had planned to leave the Weinstein Company in August of 2015 but later announced he would stay for a new three-year contract. He was commonly referred to being the third brother to the Weinsteins.
‘Harvey and I sometimes don’t even want to be brothers,’ Bob Weinstein once said. ‘I don’t know why anyone would want to be another brother.’
‘Should he (David Glasser) want it,’ Bob Weinstein added, ‘has become the third brother.’