Harvey Weinstein can be questioned in accusers’ civil lawsuit, judge rules

REUTERS

A federal judge in Manhattan on Tuesday rejected Harvey Weinstein's request to delay a deposition in a civil lawsuit by women who accused the imprisoned movie producer of sexual abuse and workplace harassment.

Weinstein, 68, had argued that his poor health made giving a deposition "practically impossible," and put him at "severe risk" of self-incrimination because of pending criminal charges in Los Angeles. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, however, said Weinstein did not provide medical support for his health claims, and that it was unclear when Weinstein's constitutional right against self-incrimination might no longer be a concern. read more »

Baseball’s Harassment Issues Extend Far Beyond Jared Porter

NEW YORK TIMES

Jared Porter left the Mets no choice. Late Monday night, when ESPN published the lurid details of his lecherous pursuit of a female reporter in 2016, Porter was as good as gone. By 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Steven A. Cohen, the Mets’ owner, had fired his recently hired general manager.

Yet this is really not a Mets story. Porter was working for the Chicago Cubs when he harassed the reporter — sending her a photo of a penis, another of a bulging crotch, and a barrage of 62 texts without an answer. The truly disturbing part of this saga is how it graphically illustrates the garbage many women endure while working in and around baseball. read more »

Ghislaine Maxwell court hearing disrupted by apparent QAnon followers

THE GUARDIAN

A court proceeding on documents in civil litigation against the jailed British socialite and accused sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell was interrupted on Tuesday when the judge became aware of an unlawful live stream being viewed by numerous apparent followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory.

The existence of a strong contingent of QAnon supporters listening in was based upon comments in a live chat that ran alongside the stream. The stream shut down shortly after the judge made it clear that it was against the law. read more »