A slew of sexual harassment allegations have been lodged against Hollywood heavyweight Harvey Weinstein over the past three decades, the New York Times reported Thursday.
The allegations came from actresses including Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan, and from former employees of Weinstein Co. and the mogul's first company, Miramax, the Times reported.
According to the Times, Weinstein has reached at least eight legal settlements with women over the allegations.
The report prompted an apology from the executive, who is also a prominent Democratic megadonor.
"I realized some time ago that I needed to be a better person and my interactions with the people who I work with have changed," Weinstein said in his statement, which didn't verify the full extent of the accusations reported in the Times, however.
"I appreciate the way I've behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it," he said.
Weinstein also announced he plans to take a leave of absence from his film company, the Los Angeles Times reported.
According to LawNewz.com, Weinstein's lawyer, Charles Harder, issued a statement threatening legal action for a story "saturated with false and defamatory statements" — and vowing to donate all proceeds to women's organizations.
The Times story "relies on mostly hearsay accounts and a faulty report, apparently stolen from an employee personnel file, which has been debunked by 9 different eyewitnesses," Harder said in a statement obtained by LawNewz.
"We sent the Times the facts and evidence, but they ignored it and rushed to publish."
Weinstein once held a fundraiser at his New York City home for former presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, and endowed a faculty chair at Rutgers University in liberal icon Gloria Steinem's name.
And former first daughter Malia Obama interned at the New York offices of the Weinstein company earlier this year.
Weinstein said during the absence from his company he will take part in therapy, educate himself on sexual abuse, and "channel" his anger into combatting the National Rifle Association.
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