Harvey Weinstein's Future In Limbo Following Sexual Harassment Revelations

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Harvey Weinstein's immediate future at the production house he co-founded with his brother appeared to be in limbo Friday, amid reports the company's board was weighing its response to a New York Times story outlining past sexual harassment claims against the movie mogul.

As of Friday afternoon, there had been no official word from The Weinstein Company, but various entertainment trade publications reported that the firm's board of directors began meeting Thursday night to discuss the report, with the meeting continuing Friday.

Deadline.com reported that one board member, publishing magnate Dirk Ziff, quit the board following the contentious board meeting Thursday night.

RELATED: Harvey Weinstein To Take Leave Amid Sexual Harassment Scandal

Weinstein, 65, announced Thursday he was taking a leave of absence from the company in that aftermath of the NYT story, which reported that Weinstein has reached at least eight legal settlements with women over allegations of sexual harassment, with his accusers including actresses Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan.

"I realized some time ago that I needed to be a better person and my interactions with the people I work with have changed," he said. "I appreciate the way I've behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it."

Meanwhile, organizers of the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project's annual Legacy Awards -- the LGBTQ group's gala fundraiser honoring entertainment industry figures who "made a profound and lasting impact on LGBT storytelling and the LGBT community" -- announced The Weinstein Company would no longer be honored at the Oct. 22 ceremony.

The company was scheduled to receive a Vanguard Award, but Weinstein officials decided to withdraw from the event, according to Outfest Executive Director Christopher Racster.

Racster said he received message from the company stating, "Because we wholeheartedly support Outfest and its mission to preserve LGBTQ cinema, we have decided to withdraw from The Legacy Awards at this time. We do not want to overshadow the extraordinary achievements of the other honorees."

Racster noted that the "LGBTQ community faces so much discrimination and harassment on the daily basis," and Outfest stands "for the dignity of each human being" and works to create a world "where everyone is treated fairly, respectfully and equally under the law."

The Legacy Awards event will still go forward, honoring actress Rita Moreno and actress/activist Laverne Cox.

"Both of these women have fought and stood up for the basic human rights of all people to be treated fairly, especially within a culture in Hollywood that has at times discriminated against them," Racster said.

Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob founded the Miramax film-production house in the late 1970s. The company produced hit films including "Pulp Fiction," "The Thin Blue Line," "Sex, Lies and Videotape," "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!," "The Crying Game" and "Clerks."

The brothers sold the company to Disney in 1993 but continued to run it until 2005, when they left to create The Weinstein Company. The studio's credits include "The King's Speech," "Silver Linings Playbook," "The Butler" and "The Imitation Game."

City News Service: Photo: Harvey Weinstein arrives at the Oscars in Los Angeles. Weinstein is taking a leave of absence from his own company after The New York Times released a report alleging decades of sexual harassment against women, including employees and actress Ashley Judd. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)