Latest news with #Me-Too
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Director James Toback ordered to pay $1.68B in sexual assault trial involving 40 women
A judge is ordering director James Toback to pay $1.68 billion in damages Wednesday, following a jury finding him liable in a sexual assault trial in New York, during which he was accused by 40 women of sex crimes over decades. Attorneys for the accusers believe the sum represents the largest sexual assault civil suit verdict in state history. "The jury's verdict is about justice," Brad Beckworth, an attorney for the accusers wrote in a statement to USA TODAY. "But more importantly, it's about taking power back from the abusers — and their and enablers — and returning it to those they tried to control." Toback, who has previously denied any wrongdoing, was not reachable for comment. He did not have legal representation during the trial. The screenwriter behind films like "Bugsy" and "Two Girls and a Guy," Toback, 80, was one of the first major Hollywood names to be thrown out during the #MeToo reckoning over sexual violence in the entertainment industry nearly a decade ago. Along with the aspiring actresses listed in the suit, he has also been accused by big-name stars like Rachel McAdams, Selma Blair and Julianne Moore of on-set harassment. 'Grey's Anatomy' star Ellen Pompeo: James Toback once asked me to get naked in a movie "Several years ago, when the Me-Too movement began, I think many of us thought that we were past the point where men in positions of power would prey on women and try to steal their dignity and honor in exchange for allowing them to advance in their careers," Beckworth continued. "We now know that the movement didn't go far enough. We still have a lot of people in this country who abuse their power—and there are many more who turn a blind eye to it." The lawsuit in New York, which loops together over a dozen named accusers and several anonymous ones, alleged that Toback over the course of 40 years used his "reputation, power and influence" to "lure young women … through fraud, coercion, force and intimidation into compromising situations where he falsely imprisoned, sexually abused, assaulted, and/or battered them." Many of the women are now in their 30s and 40s. Filed under the Adult Survivors Act, the lawsuit was allowed to proceed despite the large amount of time that had lapsed since many of the assaults by way of a one-year look-back window. The state opened the window in 2022 to allow accusers a brief opportunity to skirt the statute of limitations. That same look-back window was used by journalist E. Jean Carroll to sue President Donald Trump over an alleged assault during the mid-1990s. The original suit also ensnared the Harvard Club of New York, where lawyers for the women allege Toback was a frequent customer, often taking his victims there for meals and drinks before attacking them. Because of his status as a prestige member, the club turned a blind eye to the abuse, the lawsuit alleged − the organization was ultimately not part of the trial. Toback was a graduate of the Ivy League university and directed a 2001 dramedy about the school entitled "Harvard Man." McAdams and Blair both told Vanity Fair in 2017 that during the production of the movie Toback engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior, asking them to take their clothing off during auditions, masturbating in front of them or discussing personal pleasure habits and threatening them about speaking out. Blair, who originally spoke to the Los Angeles Times anonymously, said she decided to come forward after Toback's blanket denial. "When he called these women liars and said he didn't recall meeting them and that the behavior alleged could not be attributed to him, I just felt rage and an obligation to speak publicly now," she told Vanity Fair. "For decades, I carried this trauma in silence, and today, a jury believed me. Believed us," Mary Monahan, the lead accuser in the case resolved Wednesday, told Variety. "That changes everything. This verdict is more than a number — it's a declaration. We are not disposable. We are not liars. We are not collateral damage in someone else's power trip. The world knows now what we've always known: what he did was real. And what we did — standing up, speaking out — was right." Contributing: Lorena Blas This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: James Toback to pay $1.68 billion to women after sexual assault trial
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Yahoo
James Toback Ordered to Pay $1.7 Billion in Sex Assault Verdict Following Lawsuit From 40 Women
James Toback was ordered to pay $1.68 billion following his sexual assault trial in New York. On Wednesday, the director – who was among the first names levied when the #MeToo movement began back in 2017 – was accused of a decades-long abuse of power in a lawsuit from 40 women. The verdict found Toback responsible for sexual assault, false imprisonment, coercion, and psychological abuse. 'This verdict is about justice. But more importantly, It's about taking power back from the abusers — and their and enablers — and returning it to those he tried to control and silence,' Brad Beckworth, lead counsel for the plaintiffs, said. 'Several years ago, when the Me-Too movement began, I think many of us thought that we were past the point where men in positions of power would prey on women and try to steal their dignity and honor in exchange for allowing them to advance in their careers. We now know that the movement didn't go far enough. We still have a lot of people in this country who abuse their power — and there are many more who turn a blind eye to it.' Beckworth continued: 'Today, a jury from the greater New York Community spoke very clearly and sent a message that reverberates far beyond this courtroom: no one is above accountability. The movement is not over. There is more work to do.' The six-member jury in the case awarded a total of $280 million in compensatory damages and $1.4 billion for punitive damages to the plaintiffs. The victorious attorneys believe the case could be the biggest sex assault verdict in New York state history. 'This is not just a verdict — it's validation,' Mary Monahan, a lead plantiff, said. 'For decades, I carried this trauma in silence, and today, a jury believed me. Believed us. That changes everything. This verdict is more than a number — it's a declaration. We are not disposable. We are not liars. We are not collateral damage in someone else's power trip. The world knows now what we've always known: what he did was real. And what we did — standing up, speaking out — was right. Toback wrote the 1991 film 'Bugsy' and both wrote and directed films like 'Tyson,' 'The Pick-Up Artist' and 'Two Guys and a Girl.' The post James Toback Ordered to Pay $1.7 Billion in Sex Assault Verdict Following Lawsuit From 40 Women appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Historian tells the untold tales of over 150 Inverclyde women in new book
AN INVERCLYDE writer and historian is using his latest book to shine a spotlight on the stories of over 150 local women. Vincent Gillen is diving into the Inverclyde's history once again with his new book, The Woman's Realm – Stories of Inverclyde Women, which focuses on the untold tales of some of the areas most important ladies. The author says his latest work aims to further examine the stories of some of the women he's come across in his 30 years of writing about the area's industrial and wartime history. He will be delivering a talk about the book at the Wyllieum in Greenock on Saturday at 1pm to coincide with International Women's Day, with copies of the book available at the event. OTHER NEWS: Morton fans issued bans after anti-social behaviour at games Tickets for the event can be purchased at and copies of the book can be bought from Vincent told the Tele that women in his own life had played a part in inspiring him to write the book. He said: 'Part of it was that I was thinking about the women in my life, I lost my sister last year and that kind of brought it on. 'It's dedicated to the memory of my mum and my sister. 'I think through reading everything about the Me-Too movement and all the rest of it and women standing up for themselves you realise how much you have to appreciate the women in your life. 'The book features 150 women that have connections with Greenock and Inverclyde who have stories to tell that haven't been told before. (Image: George Munro) 'Having done books on industry and war for the last 30 years, women have always been in the background of these stories, but there's never been enough to tell it all. 'The idea is just to pick out the women I've come across before and put them all into one book to tell their story.' The book features a wide variety of women from all walks of life, including suffragettes, missionaries, local nobility and more. Vincent added: 'It covers topics like politics, religion and health, you've also got the ladies of Inverclyde, such as the Shaw Stewarts. 'For example, we've got Caroline Ann Gamble of the Gamble Halls in Gourock and we tell her story, there's a whole lot more to that than people know. 'She married someone 36 years older than her and was left a fortune and the book looks at what she did with that money. 'There are also the stories of 12 missionary women who left Gourock to go to India and China. 'There's the remarkable story of three sisters that left in 1830 to go to India and spread their religion. 'And we've got the stories of the first doctors in Britain, one of them was married to a Greenock man. 'Almost every topic you can think of there's a Greenock connection.' The book spans from the early 1680s with the story of Lady Shaw right up to the 1940s, where it examines the lives of some local lady artists. Vincent believes the book, and his other works, have demonstrated the profound impact that people from Inverclyde have been able to have on the area and the world beyond it. He said: 'This book is about the role of women and how you realise that you don't hear about them. 'They're always referred to as Mrs John Smith or whatever, they're never given their first names. 'It can be difficult to find out about them because they're always referred to as the property of the man. 'You can do small pieces on each one but then you realise it all creates a big picture of what women have gone through and they've just been treated awfully. 'This is sort of a culmination of about 30 years' worth of research, I've picked up pieces on individuals as I've gone along which were almost like small stories but when I put them together I've ended up with over 150."
