LA City Attorney Asks for Harvey Weinstein Victims to Come Forward, Says He ‘Will Prosecute’

“Please come forward so that your cases — and justice — can be pursued,” Mike Feuer says

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Los Angeles’ city attorney Mike Feuer is calling on victims of sexual abuse and harassment to come forward in the wake of allegations against such Hollywood figures as Harvey Weinstein, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Feuer said in a statement on Tuesday that the LAPD takes these allegations “very seriously, and where the facts support conviction, we will prosecute.”

He pointed out that “this is not just a Hollywood thing” and that harassment and abuse are problems in “virtually every industry.

His remarks come on a day in which Weinstein resigned from the board of production company The Weinstein Co., and Roy Price quit as head of Amazon Studios following a harassment claim.

The Beverly Hills Police Department had previously told TheWrap last week that it had yet to launch a probe into accusations against Weinstein, as no one had filed a complaint.

The full statement from Feuer is below.

The Weinstein allegations have placed a bright spotlight on sexual harassment and sexual abuse, especially in the workplace. As brave victims come forward, others have been encouraged to do the same. And our nation must now confront these significant issues in a profound way.  

From our prosecutions in this area, I know it takes tremendous courage for women and men to share often intimate details of sexual harassment or abuse. We know this is not just a Hollywood thing — it’s a workplace thing, arising all too often in virtually every industry.

Indeed, while most people don’t work in the entertainment industry, victims of sexual harassment and abuse share many of the very same concerns we’ve heard about in recent days:  Will my job be on the line if I say something?  Will I be publicly humiliated?  Will anyone believe me –“Please come forward so that your cases — and justice — can be pursued and will anyone stand up for me?

I am here to say we will. We take allegations like these very seriously, and where the facts support conviction, we will prosecute. I’m very pleased that LAPD recently issued a call for alleged victims to come forward so LAPD can investigate. Please come forward so that your cases — and justice — can be pursued.

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