Entertainment

Weinstein Accuser Breaks Confidentiality Agreement To Speak Out Against Him

(Photo: Shutterstock)

David Krayden Ottawa Bureau Chief
Font Size:

A former British assistant to Harvey Weinstein is breaking a confidentiality agreement that she says she had with the disgraced Hollywood producer.

In a Monday interview with the Financial Times, Zelda Perkins says Weinstein paid her the equivalent of more than $165,000 in 1998 to keep silent about sexual harassment charges that Perkins was leveling at Weinstein.

“I want to publicly break my non-disclosure agreement,” Perkins told the Times.

Perkins says that Weinstein asked for a massage and attempted to go to bed with her and that when she publicly talked about the incident she “was made to feel ashamed for disclosing his behavior.”

Weinstein continues to deny any wrongdoing concerning any of the mounting allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment.

Perkins first went public with the accusations after learning that another of Weinstein’s assistants was also claiming sexual harassment at the hands of the Hollywood mogul.

Both women received a shared British settlement of £250,000 ($330,500 U.S.) but had to promise not to discuss the allegations in the future as part of the agreement.

By violating that non-disclosure agreement, Perkins might be forced to forfeit her award settlement.

But that possibility isn’t hindering her from breaking confidentiality.

“Unless somebody does this there won’t be a debate about how egregious these agreements are and the amount of duress that victims are put under,” she said.

According to Perkins, Weinstein routinely asked her for massages while the film tycoon was dressed only in his underwear and the two were by themselves in hotel accommodation. Her story bears a stark resemblance to that of other accusers like actresses Lupita Nyong’o And Gwyneth Paltrow who also spoke of Weinstein requesting intimate massages.

Follow David on Twitter