Updated October 09, 2017 16:02:04

Photo: Harvey Weinstein and his wife fashion designer Georgina Chapman. (Reuters: Danny Moloshok, file)

Harvey Weinstein has been fired from The Weinstein Company in the wake of "new information" about his conduct and a flurry of sexual abuse allegations, the company's board of directors has announced.

Weinstein, 65, had previously taken a voluntary leave of absence after decades of sexual harassment allegations were detailed in a New York Times exposé last week.

The board, which includes Weinstein's brother, endorsed that decision over the weekend, but it went even further this morning, removing Weinstein from the company he co-founded.

"In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company — Robert Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar — have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately," the company's board said in the statement.

If you've seen Pulp Fiction, Silver Linings Playbook or the Spy Kids films, you already know more about Harvey Weinstein than you might think.

Among those allegations are an account of Weinstein masturbating in front of a woman in a restaurant — many accounts say Weinstein used the pretext of professional meetings to engage women personally, and often with lewd requests.

A lawyer for Weinstein did not immediately comment.

Weinstein, co-chairman of the production firm, has long been the company's face and prime operator, making the Weinstein Company an independent film leader and near annual presence at the Academy Awards.

The company produced a string of classic films over the years, including Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare In Love, and The King's Speech.

Allegations triggered chaos throughout Weinstein Company

The New York Times article chronicled allegations against Weinstein from film star Ashley Judd and former employees at both The Weinstein Co and Weinstein's former company, Miramax, over the course of several decades.

Weinstein issued a lengthy statement last week that acknowledged causing "a lot of pain" while also asking for "a second chance".

But Weinstein and his lawyers have criticised The New York Times' report in statements and interviews.

"We are confident in the accuracy of our reporting," said a New York Times spokesperson in a statement.

"Mr Weinstein was aware and able to respond to specific allegations in our story before publication. In fact, we published his response in full."

There's a generation of Hollywood powerbrokers who've acted like it's still the Stone Age, and as Cameron William writes, it looks like they're no longer going to get away with it.

Following the New York Times article, the Huffington Post published another story laying out another account of sexual harassment with Weinstein in 2007, albeit in more lurid detail.

TV news anchor, Lauren Sivan then working at New York cable channel Long Island 12, alleged Mr Weinstein cornered her in the hallway of a Manhattan restaurant which was closed to the public, and masturbated in front of her.

Sivan maintains that she rejected an attempt by Mr Weinstein to kiss her, after which she said he responded, "Well, can you just stand there and shut up".

The allegations triggered cascading chaos at the Weinstein Company.

Numerous members of its all-male board have stepped down since Thursday, and on Saturday, prominent attorney Lisa Bloom withdrew from representing Weinstein, as did another adviser, Lanny Davis.

Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump, who has himself faced allegations of sexual assault over the years, told reporters outside the White House that he had "known Harvey Weinstein a long time" and that he was "not at all surprised" about the allegations.

ABC/wires

Topics: sexual-offences, film-movies, united-states

First posted October 09, 2017 10:38:31