Harvey Weinstein Victims Advocacy Group Protests Spyglass Entertainment's Gary Barber
Feb. 15 2020, Updated 11:07 p.m. ET
A group advocating for victims of Harvey Weinstein protested Spyglass Entertainment head Gary Barber’s office on Friday, demanding that he finally produce the money promised to the victim’s fund.
Barber took control of the film and TV assets of The Weinstein Company in 2019, entering a partnership with Lantern Entertainment, the organization that purchased the disgraced movie mogul’s company after they declared bankruptcy in 2018.
An offer initially made for The Weinstein Company by a group brought together by former Obama appointee Maria Contreras Sweet included a victim’s fund between $30 and $50 million.
The protesters claimed that victims have not been giving any financial offers by Spyglass.
According to an eyewitness, 10 people protested near the exclusive offices of Barber’s Century City office on Friday, February 14.
“We call on Spyglass Media Company CEO Gary Barber and Lantern Asset Management Capital Leadership Andy Mitchell and Milos Brajovic to do right by the Weinstein victims,” the group said in a statement after the protest.
“Actions speak louder than words and the Weinstein victims have been patiently waiting for Gary Barber, Andy Mitchell and Milos Brajovic to uphold their promises.
“Nothing can take away the immeasurable pain of the past situations, but the good faith offer now seems to have been only empty rhetoric not followed up with the financial contributions.
Documents filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2018 revealed Lantern Entertainment was sued by respected African-American Hollywood producer Marvin Peart for breach of contract, negligent misrepresentation and fraud.
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Peart sued for $110 million alleging he was excluded from The Weinstein Company deal after bringing Lantern to the table.
He cites “institutional racism” as part of the reason he was cut out of a deal he said he brokered for the purchase of The Weinstein Company.
Peart claims he was promised a seat on the board of the new company and more than $10million for bringing Lantern in as an investor.
Peart slammed Latern for cutting him out of the deal, claiming, “Not only has it repudiated its contractual obligation to compensate Peart for his exceptional services and give him a seat on the reconstituted TWC The Weinstein Company Board of Directors, Latern is attempting to write him completely out of the story of how a Hollywood outsider landed the biggest entertainment deal of the year.
The lawsuit continued. “Omitting any reference to Plaintiff’s indispensable role in arranging its landmark acquisition, Lantern’s public announcements are a triumph of historic revisionism,” Peart claimed.
“What happened to Plaintiff is not just a matter of damages for breach of contract. It is far more insidious. Peart is the latest striving African American who has been cheated out of his hard won right to occupy the winner circle because of his race. Lantern’s callous marginalization of plaintiff is otherwise inexplicable,” the lawsuit stated.
The case is still pending in courts.