Sen. Richard Blumenthal Demands Answers From Uber, Lyft Over Sexual Assault Allegations

The Democratic senator suggested the ride-hailing companies aren’t taking complaints of sexual misconduct by drivers seriously.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) wants Uber and Lyft to explain how the ride-hailing companies intend to keep passengers safe in light of repeated allegations of sexual assault and misconduct that have been leveled against drivers.

On Tuesday, Blumenthal wrote on Twitter that while Uber and Lyft have stated publicly that “they ‘do not tolerate harassment or violence’ on their platform … if they aren’t taking reports of harassment & violence seriously, this is difficult to believe.” “They do nothing to address the fundamental problems of ensuring drivers pass rigorous background checks & preventing predatory drivers from jumping from one app to another,” the senator wrote in a tweet. read more »

Harvey Weinstein loses bid to have rape trial moved out of New York City

Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein on Thursday lost his bid to get his upcoming rape trial moved out of New York City, where he has said intense media scrutiny would make it impossible for him to get a fair jury.

Once among Hollywood’s most powerful producers, Weinstein 67, is scheduled to stand trial in Manhattan in January. He is accused of assaulting two women in 2006 and 2013. To bolster their case, prosecutors will call a third woman to testify that Weinstein raped her in 1993.

Weinstein, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges, faces a life sentence if convicted.

Roughly 70 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct dating back decades. Weinstein has denied the allegations and said any sexual encounters were consensual. read more »

Why HR is powerless to effectively handle sexual harassment claims

What happens after you report sexual harassment and hear nothing?

Nobody goes looking for a meeting with HR. That had always been Maya’s thinking. Even after she was sexually harassed by wealthy board members on the job, rather than report the incidents to the human resources department, she did what so many employees do — she tried to manage it.

“I side-stepped hugs and squeezes, redirected conversations when it turned to my appearance, and politely ask not to be called ‘doll’ or ‘kitten,’” said Maya (whose name has been changed for this story).

However, when a board member made sexual advances to a college intern on her team, Maya felt differently. She was compelled to report the incident to HR.

Unfortunately, the harassment investigation lived up to Maya’s low expectations. Nobody offered a timeline or shared updates. It was unclear who, if anyone, outside of HR knew about the accusations. University leaders grew cold and distant, but Maya wasn’t sure if they were reacting to the investigation or if she was paranoid. Eventually, the stress drove her to resign. read more »

James Franco accused in lawsuit of sexually exploiting women

Two women come forward alleging star’s acting school promoted ‘widespread inappropriate and sexually charged behavior’

The suit alleges Franco and his partners “engaged in widespread inappropriate and sexually charged behavior towards female students by sexualizing their power as a teacher and an employer by dangling the opportunity for roles in their projects”.

During classes and auditions, the suit claims that “often young and inexperienced females … were routinely pressured to engage in simulated sex acts that went far beyond the standards in the industry”. read more »

College-Crime Reports Are Breaking Records This Year. Blame Years-Ago Abuses by Campus Doctors

Higher education’s annual federally mandated disclosure of campus crimes has been an especially grim task this year for officials at three universities dealing with the aftermath of sexual-abuse accusations against campus physicians.

The federal campus-crime-reporting law known as the Clery Act requires colleges that receive federal funding to release a compilation of crime statistics each October 1 for the preceding three calendar years. Because the disclosures reflect the date that a crime is reported rather than when it is alleged to have occurred, the universities — Michigan State, Ohio State, and the University of Southern California — saw steep surges in reports of abuse, most dating to years-ago incidents. read more »