Weinstein seeks to pursue arbitration over firing

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Disgraced Hollywood film mogul and convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein is asking a bankruptcy judge in Delaware to allow him to pursue arbitration in New York over what he claims is his wrongful termination from the company he co-founded.

An attorney for Weinstein submitted a court filing this week asking the judge who is presiding over The Weinstein Co. bankruptcy to lift the automatic stay that halts outside legal proceedings involving Chapter 11 debtors so he can pursue the arbitration case he filed in 2017.

“Newly discovered information and facts, gleaned during the course of investigation and discovery in collateral matters, have yielded evidence that corroborates the wrongful termination claim that is subject of the arbitration,” Weinstein attorney Julia Klein wrote.

Klein also said there has been no willful delay in seeking to lift the bankruptcy stay in order to proceed with the arbitration.

“Movant has been involved in one of the most publicized criminal proceedings in recent history, after which he was convicted and sentenced to a term of incarceration of 23 years, and is also defending against numerous civil claims, while facing additional prosecution in California,” she noted. “All while movant has suffered from increasing ill health and medical issues.”

The Weinstein Co. sought bankruptcy protection in March 2018 amid a sexual misconduct scandal that brought down Weinstein and triggered a nationwide movement to address predatory sexual behavior and harassment in the workplace. Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison earlier this year after being convicted in New York of rape and sexual assault.

Prosecutors in Los Angeles are seeking his extradition to California to face charges of raping a woman and sexually...