Harvey Weinstein (and assorted horrible people)... RIP career.

[Moliere]

French Prosecutors Drop Gerard Depardieu Sexual Assault Case Due to Statute of Limitations

Thirteen women have come forward to accuse Depardieu of sexual assault involving incidents spanning two decades. In February 2021, Depardieu was charged with rape and sexual assault allegedly committed in 2018 against actress Charlotte Arnould. Darras was auditioned as a witness during that ongoing investigation and chose to file a separate complaint last September.

But the Paris Prosecutor’s Office on Monday confirmed media reports that it would be dismissing Darras’ complaint due to the statute of limitations. Depardieu has not been convicted in connection to any of the allegations. He denies any wrongdoing.

[Isgrimnur]

Harvey Weinstein's conviction overturned by top New York court

In a 4-3 decision, the state Court of Appeals said the trial judge made a critical mistake by letting women testify that Weinstein assaulted them even though they were not part of the charges he faced.
...
The court also said the trial judge compounded the error by letting Weinstein be cross-examined in a way that portrayed him in a "highly prejudicial" light.

"It is an abuse of judicial discretion to permit untested allegations of nothing more than bad behavior that destroys a defendant's character but sheds no light on their credibility as related to the criminal charges," Judge Jenny Rivera wrote for the majority.

"The remedy for these egregious errors is a new trial," she added.

[Trent Steel]

/counterstrike

LAWYERS WIN

[Isgrimnur]

As with all things.

[em2nought]

new-york-top-court-overturns-former-hollywood-producer-weinsteins-conviction-2024-04-25

The home team gets a bye.

[Holman]

These are just the NY charges. He'll still die in jail with the California ones.

[El Guapo]

Horrible person, but from the admittedly short summary I read the ruling doesn't sound crazy. Letting prosecutors put on people who are testifying that the accused did something similar to them as a way of proving different similar allegations is a little dangerous.

[Unagi]

Horrible person, but from the admittedly short summary I read the ruling doesn't sound crazy. Letting prosecutors put on people who are testifying that the accused did something similar to them as a way of proving different similar allegations is a little dangerous.

In some ways (philosophically), doesn't the court treat perjury that way?

[hepcat]

He didn't rape anyone, but Richard Dreyfuss has definitely put his career into a tailspin with his recent appearances. Although I'm not sure he wasn't already retired/thinking of retiring from acting.

I saw part of the video and it was just....bizarre. He came out in a dress over his clothes, and then some stage hands appeared from off stage and took it off him while he pranced around strangely. Then he started using his cane as a bat for some reason. More than anything, it looked like someone who was very confused. But then he apparently went off on a homophobic rant. He was there for a presentation of Jaws, so that seemed a bit out of place.

[Holman]

He didn't rape anyone, but Richard Dreyfuss has definitely put his career into a tailspin with his recent appearances. Although I'm not sure he wasn't already retired/thinking of retiring from acting.

I saw part of the video and it was just....bizarre. He came out in a dress over his clothes, and then some stage hands appeared from off stage and took it off him while he pranced around strangely. Then he started using his cane as a bat for some reason. More than anything, it looked like someone who was very confused. But then he apparently went off on a homophobic rant. He was there for a presentation of Jaws, so that seemed a bit out of place.

His son Ben Dreyfuss plays a gadfly role on Twitter, but even he has said that his dad has gone off the rails.

[hepcat]

In a cultural/political sense? Or in a "he needs some mental health care" sense?

[Isgrimnur]

In a cultural/political sense

Richard Dreyfuss' real passion is politics not acting

[Max Peck]

His son Ben Dreyfuss plays a gadfly role on Twitter, but even he has said that his dad has gone off the rails.

Not really, he joked about it then said people are entitled to their own opinions about stuff. He's explicitly rejected claims that he "slammed" his father.

Meanwhile Dreyfuss's son, Ben Dreyfuss laughed off the controversy.

'Wow, just looked at my phone and learned about the disgusting outrageous behavior of one of my relatives,' he said on X, adding a screenshot of a relative telling him they had an Android instead of an iPhone.

He followed up: 'Re: My father, well, now you know why I refused to give him the password to his own Twitter account for a decade lol.'

A later post read: 'My dad and I disagree about lots of stuff. But it’s a free country. People are allowed to have different opinions about stuff.'

https://x.com/bendreyfuss/status/1795483077957087432

This one is even worse! I did not slam him!

[YellowKing]

To be fair I think if you gave my dad a large public platform where everyone was there to see him, the chances of him going on a transphobic rant are at least 50%.

[hepcat]

What's really weird is that considering where my father grew up, when he grew up and the people he grew up with, you'd think he'd have similar beliefs. But he doesn't. He's 89 years old and I don't think I've ever heard him say a disparaging word about minorities, the lgbqt community or anyone else. Well, except for "stupid politicians". He seems to just dislike them as a whole.

[Hyena]

What's really weird is that considering where my father grew up, when he grew up and the people he grew up with, you'd think he'd have similar beliefs. But he doesn't. He's 89 years old and I don't think I've ever heard him say a disparaging word about minorities, the lgbqt community or anyone else. Well, except for "stupid politicians". He seems to just dislike them as a whole.

Sounds like a brilliant, wonderful man. We could use a million more like him.

[hepcat]

He still fathered me, a smartass with no aspirations beyond watching horror movies and playing board games; and my brother, a MAGA loving member of the LGBQT community. That's two strikes we should consider when making that kind of wish.

[ImLawBoy]

Sigh.

I've been waiting to post on this hoping that it would all get cleared up and be a nothingburger, but since this is the worst possible timeline, up next is Neil Gaiman.

Quick summary: Two women have accused him of sexual assault. One 20 years ago (Neil in his 40s, woman was 20) and one a couple of years ago (Neil in his 60s, woman was 21 or so). This all came out as part of a podcast from something called Tortoise Media. Gaiman hasn't made any statements that I've seen since the news came out (and he's gone dark on Bluesky, where he was extremely active), but per the podcast he admitted to the relationships, but claims they were fully consensual. The first woman was a fan, and the second woman was the newly hired nanny for his young son.

Even assuming that Gaiman's take is 100% accurate (and I'm not assuming anything at this point, to be clear), he is at minimum a creep with a horrible sense of judgment. Even if you want to pass off the first incident as a groupie/fan incident, in the second he's a wealthy, famous man having a physical relationship with a newly hired employee within hours of first meeting.

Still waiting for some kind of formal statement, but this makes me sick.

[Jaymann]

Maybe he has an American God complex.

[Isgrimnur]

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Charged With Sex Trafficking, Racketeering and Transporting for Prostitution

After months of accusations of sexual misconduct and other allegations, Sean “Diddy” Combs was charged Tuesday on three counts: racketeering conspiracy; sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution, according to legal documents.
...
Specifically, Combs and his company are charged with “a persistent and pervasive pattern of abuse toward women and other individuals. This abuse was, at times, verbal, emotional, physical and sexual”; that Combs “assaulted women by, among other things, striking, punching, dragging, throwing objects at, and kicking them”; “used the Combs business, including certain employees, to carry out, facilitate and cover up his abuse and commercial sex”; and alleges that one of the roles of the Combs Enterprise was “preserving, protecting, promoting and enhancing” its and Combs’ power “though violence, use of firearms, threats of violence, coercion and verbal, emotional, physical and sexual abuse.”

In the second and third counts, Combs is accused of causing an unnamed victim to “engage in commercial sex acts” and “knowingly transported an individual in interstate and foreign commerce with intent that the individual engage in prostitution,” among other claims.

[Max Peck]

Meanwhile, the internet breathlessly awaits word from Mr. Popehat, Esq as to whether this is, indeed, the RICO.

So far, all we have is:

I’ll be under the desk

[Holman]

Sigh.

I've been waiting to post on this hoping that it would all get cleared up and be a nothingburger, but since this is the worst possible timeline, up next is Neil Gaiman.

Quick summary: Two women have accused him of sexual assault. One 20 years ago (Neil in his 40s, woman was 20) and one a couple of years ago (Neil in his 60s, woman was 21 or so). This all came out as part of a podcast from something called Tortoise Media. Gaiman hasn't made any statements that I've seen since the news came out (and he's gone dark on Bluesky, where he was extremely active), but per the podcast he admitted to the relationships, but claims they were fully consensual. The first woman was a fan, and the second woman was the newly hired nanny for his young son.

Even assuming that Gaiman's take is 100% accurate (and I'm not assuming anything at this point, to be clear), he is at minimum a creep with a horrible sense of judgment. Even if you want to pass off the first incident as a groupie/fan incident, in the second he's a wealthy, famous man having a physical relationship with a newly hired employee within hours of first meeting.

Still waiting for some kind of formal statement, but this makes me sick.

Old news now, I suppose, but a couple of years ago it came out that Gaiman's then-partner, the performance artist Amanda Palmer, was separating from him.

At the time, Gaiman was beloved by all and Palmer had a reputation for brassiness, so the internet assumed that she was the bad guy. Now it seems that she was acting on revelations that most of us hadn't yet heard about.

[Isgrimnur]

Garth Brooks accused of sexual assault and battery in lawsuit from hair-and-makeup artist who worked for him

Country music star Garth Brooks has been accused of sexual assault and battery in a lawsuit from a “Jane Roe” who says she worked as a hairstylist and makeup artist for the award-winning singer.

The complaint, filed in a state court in California on Thursday and obtained by CNN, states the alleged incidents occurred in 2019. She claims she was once raped by Brooks during a work trip.

In a statement to CNN later on Thursday, Brooks said, “For the last two months, I have been hassled to no end with threats, lies, and tragic tales of what my future would be if I did not write a check for many millions of dollars.”

“Hush money, no matter how much or how little, is still hush money. In my mind, that means I am admitting to behavior I am incapable of — ugly acts no human should ever do to another,” he added. “We filed suit against this person nearly a month ago to speak out against extortion and defamation of character. We filed it anonymously for the sake of families on both sides.”

[Isgrimnur]

Harvey Weinstein diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, sources say

The sources added that Weinstein is undergoing treatment in prison at Rikers Island in New York. Chronic myeloid leukemia is an uncommon form of cancer of the bone marrow, according to the Mayo Clinic.
...
The news of Weinstein's diagnosis comes amid a myriad of health issues. Last month, he underwent emergency heart surgery to alleviate a significant amount of fluid in his lungs and heart.

In July, he was hospitalized and tested positive for Covid-19 and double pneumonia.
...
Weinstein’s New York conviction was overturned this year as he was serving a 23-year sentence. New York's Court of Appeals found that the judge in the landmark trial prejudiced Weinstein with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.

But Weinstein did not walk free after the court's decision because he was convicted in 2022 of rape in Los Angeles and sentenced to 16 years in prison. His legal team is appealing that conviction.

[Isgrimnur]

Former Abercrombie & Fitch chief Mike Jeffries arrested on federal sex trafficking charges

Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries, his romantic partner and a third man were arrested Tuesday on charges of luring dozens of men into sex parties held around the world, sometimes by dangling the promise of modeling for the clothing retailer.

Jeffries, partner Matthew Smith and their employee James Jacobson “operated an international sex trafficking and prostitution business” from 2008 to 2015, using Jeffries’ status, wealth and a web of household staffers to fulfill the couple’s sexual desires and keep it all secret, according to an indictment unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn.

The charges follow sexual misconduct allegations, made in lawsuits and the media, from young people who said Jeffries promised modeling work and then pressed them into sex acts.

[Unagi]

BINGO!


Although, I'm sure I'm not the only one who had that on their bingo card.

[Max Peck]

Blake Lively accuses It Ends With Us director of harassment and smear campaign

Actor Blake Lively has accused her It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of the movie and of a subsequent effort to "destroy" her reputation in a legal complaint.

The complaint obtained by The Associated Press precedes a lawsuit. The New York Times reported it was filed on Friday with the California Civil Rights Department.

It names Baldoni, the studio behind It Ends With Us and Baldoni's publicists among the defendants.

In the complaint, Lively accuses Baldoni and the studio of embarking on a "multi-tiered plan" to damage her reputation following a meeting in which she and her husband Ryan Reynolds addressed "repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior" by Baldoni and a producer on the movie.

The plan, the complaint said, included a proposal to plant theories on online message boards, engineer a social media campaign and place news stories critical of Lively. The complaint also says Baldoni "abruptly pivoted away from" the movie's marketing plan and "used domestic violence `survivor content' to protect his public image."

"These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media," attorney Bryan Freedman said in a statement. Freedman represents Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives.

Freedman pushed back against Lively's allegations of a coordinated campaign, saying the studio "proactively" hired a crisis manager "due to the multiple demands and threats made by Ms. Lively during production." He said Lively threatened to not appear on set and not promote the film "if her demands were not met."

Those demands were not specified in the statement.

I guess "Stop harrassing me..." could be characterized as a demand, and "...or else I quit!" as a threat.

[Holman]

This new article on Neil Gaiman contains some very disturbing details:

There Is No Safe Word: How the best-selling fantasy author Neil Gaiman hid the darkest parts of himself for decades.

By this account (apparently sourced from dozens of interviews with victims and associates) Gaiman is not only a creep and a manipulator but a rapist who gets off on cruelty.

[Smoove_B]

If even half of that is true (and I doubt any of it is lies), it's extremely disturbing to read. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that a writer that was so prolific and creative had incomprehensible levels of darkness inside of him. That his deeds could diminish what he's created and inspired is terrible, but I do hope all his victims get the justice they deserve and Gaiman is getting the help he clearly needs.

[Holman]

And Amanda Palmer comes off as an abuse enabler at the very least.

One set of details I didn't know is that Gaiman's parents were Scientology royalty until he was a teenager (when they got on the wrong side of David Miscavage). It excuses nothing, but there are signs that Gaiman himself was messed up pretty badly by manipulators from an early age.

[Smoove_B]

Yeah, it excuses nothing but I had no idea either. My armchair psychology would suggest that his parents and meteoric rise to fame in the late 80s / early 90s put him in a position to entertain his demons.

[McNutt]

Next up, Justin Tucker.

Ravens kicker Justin Tucker engaged in inappropriate behavior at four high-end spas and wellness centers in the Baltimore region, according to six massage therapists, including exposing his genitals, brushing two of them with his exposed penis, and leaving what they believed to be ejaculate on the massage table after three of his treatments.

Several therapists said Tucker’s behavior was so egregious that they ended his sessions early or refused to work on him again. And, at two spas, management said they banned him from returning.

[Hyena]

Next up, Justin Tucker.

Ravens kicker Justin Tucker engaged in inappropriate behavior at four high-end spas and wellness centers in the Baltimore region, according to six massage therapists, including exposing his genitals, brushing two of them with his exposed penis, and leaving what they believed to be ejaculate on the massage table after three of his treatments.

Several therapists said Tucker’s behavior was so egregious that they ended his sessions early or refused to work on him again. And, at two spas, management said they banned him from returning.

At first I thought it was the dumbass Chief's kicker that made all those statements last year during his speech...but no, this is ANOTHER dumbass kicker.

[Isgrimnur]

[Hrothgar]

Tucker has denied the allegations.

[GreenGoo]

Tucker has denied the allegations.

"Banned from 2 different spas" seems like pretty damning circumstantial evidence.

[McNutt]

These were tweets from 2021.





This one is going to be hard for me to say it's all false. Six unrelated women? Two spas banning him?

[Skinypupy]

This one is going to be hard for me to say it's all false. Six unrelated women? Two spas banning him?

Got an ESPN alert this morning saying two more have come forward now.

[Isgrimnur]

Marvel Has No Plans To Publish Neil Gaiman's Miracleman: The Dark Age

After first republishing Alan Moore's original run, Marvel Comics then published Miracleman The Golden Age by Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham, as they had originally created it back then, followed by The Silver Age, which had been partially completed. Only for artist Mark Buckingham to radically redraw the entire arc from scratch, and take over more of the writing duties for its conclusion, to much acclaim. This was then to have been followed by the unpublished The Dark Age. Mark Buckingham would take the creative lead on the project, though based on discussions, deliberation and collaboration with Gaiman. But that seems no longer to be the case. I understand Buckingham ceased work on The Dark Age last summer and asked to be reassigned.
...
Other cancelled projects include the comic book adaptation of Anansi Boys, screen adaptations of The Sandman following season two's release later this year, Dead Boy Detectives, and The Graveyard Book, the stage adaptation of Coraline, and the Sandman #8 facsimile edition from DC Comics. There is to be a truncated version of Good Omens Season Three without Gaiman's involvement, and he has been removed by the Terry Pratchett Estate from the Good Omens Kickstarter. He has also been removed from his UK agent Casarotto Ramsay & Associates' client list.

[hitbyambulance]

He has also been removed from his UK agent Casarotto Ramsay & Associates' client list.

thaaat's gotta hurt