Harvey Weinstein at the 87th Academy Awards in 2015 / Photo: AMPAS
Harvey Weinstein filed court papers in Delaware bankruptcy court on Friday seeking emails from The Weinstein Co. that his lawyers say will help him defend himself in civil proceedings and criminal investigations.
“It is critical that Mr. Weinstein be granted access to e-mails relevant to the certain civil proceedings and criminal investigations and that are in the Debtors’ possession, as they were sent or received by his TWC e-mail accounts,” the papers read. “The Debtors’ continued refusal to permit Mr. Weinstein to access these emails has significantly impinged his ability to effectively defend himself from these allegations and is a continuing deprivation of his due-process rights.
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“In addition, Mr.Weinstein’s inability to defend himself could result in additional liability for the Debtors.”
The Weinstein Co. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March in an attempt to rescue the indie film and TV studio after dozens of women accused Weinstein of sexual assault and harassment.
Weinstein is currently under criminal investigation in at least four jurisdictions, including New York, Los Angeles and London, as the company he founded preps to sell-off assets in order to pay back its creditors.
Weinstein has continuously denied any criminal wrongdoing.
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The request made by Weinstein and his lawyers is suppose to help him “exonerate himself,” according to the court documents. He says each jurisdiction has reached out, requesting to meet him and his counsel.
Weinstein says in the motion that he has repeatedly asked for emails he sent and received, as well as other personal files, in order to hand over to authorities.
The Weinstein Co. did give the producer and his team a handful of emails initially, but Weinstein says in the filing that the company has refused to provide any more emails or personal files.
Representatives for The Weinstein Co. did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s requests for comment.
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“There is no justifiable reason for TWC to withhold communications that would assist in his defense,” the court papers state. “To put it bluntly, TWC, and its counsel, may be knowingly withholding e-mails that may exonerate Mr. Weinstein.”
Pamela Chelin contributed to this reporting.
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