Weinstein Co. board fires president and COO David Glasser 'for cause'

Weinstein Co.'s president and chief operating officer, David Glasser, has been fired "for cause," the New York entertainment company's board of directors said Friday night, in the latest twist for Harvey Weinstein's beleaguered studio.

Glasser came under fire this week after the New York attorney general's office sued the studio, alleging civil rights violations. New York Atty. Gen. Eric Schneiderman, in a Monday press conference, singled out Glasser, accusing him of failing to respond to complaints to the company's human resources department about Harvey Weinstein.

"The board of the Weinstein Company has unanimously voted to terminate David Glasser for cause," the board said in a brief statement late Friday.

The company declined to comment further. Glasser also declined to comment.Glasser's ouster is the latest bombshell in the long saga of Weinstein Co., which has been scrambling to stay afloat since Weinstein was accused of sexual harassment and assault by dozens of women. The allegations have led to criminal investigations against the producer in multiple cities and sparked a movement across the entertainment and media industry to expose powerful men who have been accused of sexual misconduct. Weinstein, who was fired by the board Oct. 8, has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex.

The attorney general's lawsuit dealt a serious blow to a potential $500-million deal to sell Weinstein Co. in what had been viewed as a Hail Mary play to save the company from bankruptcy.

The company had been nearing a sale to a group of investors led by former Obama administration official Maria Contreras-Sweet, who promised to remake the studio as a female-friendly company. The deal was expected to be announced this week. Glasser was one of the staunchest advocates for the deal, even as it came under criticism by the attorney general, according to people close to the bidding process.

Schneiderman's office on Sunday filed a 38-page complaint detailing a hostile work environment for women at Weinstein Co. and accusing management and the board of being complicit in Weinstein's abuses of power. He said a deal would unjustly reward current management by keeping them in their positions. Glasser was poised to be named chief executive of the company after the transaction was completed, according to people close to the deal.

Source :- latimes