Weinstein Co. knew about payoffs since 2015: report

Harvey Weinstein was fired from his own company after the New York Times reported allegations of sexual harassment against women. Weinstein is seen in February 2016. (Associated Press)

The lawyer who represented Al Gore in the Supreme Court case that decided the 2000 U.S. presidential election says Harvey Weinstein’s company knew about his cash settlements in sexual harassment cases in 2015.

The disclosure by attorney David Boies, who says he represented Weinstein in contract negotiations in 2015, contradicts what the New York Times says the Weinstein Company told it Tuesday – that the company had no knowledge of such payments until this week.

According to a Times interview with Boies, the board of the Weinstein Company was told about three or four of the settlements that Weinstein negotiated with women.

The Hollywood production company that bears Weinstein’s name fired him this week after disclosures of the payments and lurid allegations about the 65-year-old’s past personal conduct.

Now, according to the Times, the company is not only reeling from the public disclosure of Weinstein’s settlements and the allegations against him, but is embroiled in an internal struggle to determine whether other executives with the company responded appropriately to the matter.

In the wake of the scandal that erupted this week, Weinstein’s wife has announced plans for a divorce, Hillary Clinton said she would donate to charity any campaign money she received from Weinstein, and stars such as Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow have added to the allegations of sexual harassment.

Reports said Weinstein’s daughter described him as “suicidal and depressed,” and he was preparing to enter a rehab program in Arizona.