Harvey Weinstein wants jurors to decide whether Chubb Ltd. and other insurers are acting in “bad faith” by refusing to pay to defend him against almost a dozen lawsuits accusing him of assaulting or sexually harassing women over four decades, reports Bloomberg.
Weinstein’s lawyers said in court filings Monday they want an eight-day trial in federal court in Manhattan on the issue of insurers’ refusals to pick up the tab for his defense under policies that exclude coverage for “sexual molestation.”
A trial date hasn’t been set.
Chubb, based in Zurich, filed a countersuit against Weinstein and said it won’t pay him to defend against the women’s allegations.
Weinstein, whose studio sought bankruptcy protection in the wake of the scandal, was arrested in Manhattan in May on rape charges and released after posting $1 million bail and surrendering his passport. He denied the charges. That same month, his Weinstein Co. was sold to Lantern Entertainment in a deal worth about $437 million.
The case is Federal Insurance Co. v. Weinstein, 18-cv-02526, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (Manhattan).
The former movie producer, who faces a wave of sexual-assault claims stretching back to the 1970s, was ousted from his studio in October 2017 after the New York Times and the New Yorker published accounts in which women accused him of sexual harassment and rape.
He has denied any non-consensual sexual activity. Weinstein is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 22 for a hearing on motions in his case, according to N.Y.C. prosecutors.
This summary was prepared by Megan Hadley. She welcomes comments from readers.