Harvey Weinstein suing The New York Times for 'reckless reporting' following harassment allegations

He commented further on the sexual harassment accusations in an interview with Page Six

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Harvey Weinstein has spoken out further about the sexual harassment allegations he faces after their unveiling in a damning New York Times article.

The film producing mogul spoke with Emily Smith at Page Six for an interview which saw him both criticise the paper's “reckless” reporting and claim he's now on good terms with two of the women mentioned in the article, high-profile stars Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan.

The investigation, led by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, detailed the sexual harassment allegations the 65-year-old has reportedly been facing for decades - in his initial statement, which saw him misquote rapper Jay Z, he confirmed he would be taking a leave of absence. In this later interview, however, Weinstein has threatened to sue the paper which he claims has a “vendetta” against him.

“What I am saying is that I bear responsibility for my actions, but the reason I am suing is because of the Times’ inability to be honest with me, and their reckless reporting," he said, adding: "They told me lies. They made assumptions."

Weinstein continued: “The Times had a deal with us that they would tell us about the people they had on the record in the story, so we could respond appropriately, but they didn’t live up to the bargain. The Times editors were so fearful they were going to be scooped by New York Magazine [N.B. sources suggest he means The New Yorker] and they would lose the story, that they went ahead and posted the story filled with reckless reporting, and without checking all they had with me and my team.

This is a vendetta, and the next time I see Dean Baquet [the Times' executive editor] it will be across a courtroom,” he added.

According to Weinstein, Judd "...changed her story when giving it to the Times.

"I know Ashley Judd is going through a tough time right now, I read her book [All That Is Bitter and Sweet: A Memoir], in which she talks about being the victim of sexual abuse and depression as a child. Her life story was brutal, and I have to respect her. In a year from now, I am going to reach out to her.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Judd's longtime rep Annett Wolf stated simply: “The New York Times article speaks for itself.”

The Times, however, responded to THR's request for comment, saying:

“We are confident in the accuracy and fairness of our reporting. Mr. Weinstein had ample time to respond to specific allegations, which dealt with events that he had first-hand knowledge of, before our story published. We published his entire response, which acknowledges a history he now regrets. But the real issue is whether the story is accurate. Mr. Weinstein has not challenged any facts in our story.”

Talking about his wife of ten years, Georgina Chapman, Weinstein told Page Six: “She stands 100 percent behind me. Georgina and I have talked about this at length. We went out with [attorney] Lisa Bloom last night when we knew the article was coming out. Georgina will be with Lisa and others kicking my ass to be a better human being and to apologise to people for my bad behaviour, to say I’m sorry, and to absolutely mean it.”

You can read the full interview here.