Latest news with #ThePick-UpArtist
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jury awards $1.68 billion to women who accused writer and director James Toback of sexual abuse
A New York jury on Wednesday awarded $1.68 billion in damages to 40 women who accused writer and director James Toback of sexual abuse and other crimes over a span of 35 years, according to lawyers representing the plaintiffs. The decision stems from a lawsuit filed in Manhattan in 2022 after New York state instituted a one-year window for people to file lawsuits over sexual assault claims even if they took place decades ago. It marks one of the largest jury awards since the advent of the #MeToo movement, as well as in New York state history, said attorney Brad Beckworth, of the law firm Nix Patterson LLP, in an interview. The plaintiffs, he said, believe such a large verdict will send a message to powerful individuals 'who don't treat women appropriately.' The court had not yet released documentation of the verdict as of Wednesday night. Beckworth said the verdict included $280 million in compensatory damages and $1.4 billion for punitive damages to the plaintiffs. 'This verdict is about justice,' Beckworth said in a statement. '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.' Beckworth said the abuse took place between 1979 and 2014. 'A Minecraft Movie' delivers Hollywood a much-needed box-office hit Toback's career in Hollywood has spanned more than 40 years. He's directed such films as 'The Pick-Up Artist' and 'Two Girls and a Guy,' but was perhaps better known for writing the screenplay for 1974's 'The Gambler' and 1991's 'Bugsy,' the latter of which earned him an Oscar nomination. Accusations that he engaged in years of sexual abuse surfaced in late 2017 as the #MeToo movement gained attention. They were first reported by the Los Angeles Times. In 2018, Los Angeles prosecutors said the statutes of limitations had expired in five cases they reviewed, and declined to bring criminal charges against Toback. The plaintiffs then filed a lawsuit in New York a few days after the state's Adult Survivors Act went into effect. The lawyers said they discovered a pattern of Toback attempting to lure young women on the streets of New York into meeting him by falsely promising roles in his films and then subjecting them to sexual acts, threats and psychological coercion. Mary Monahan, a lead plaintiff in the case, called the jury award 'validation' for her and the other women. 'For decades, I carried this trauma in silence, and today, a jury believed me. Believed us. That changes everything,' she said in a statement. '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.' Los Angeles film industry struggles as soundstage occupancy plummets: study Toback, 80, who most recently had represented himself, denied numerous times in court documents that he 'committed any sexual offense.' He said 'any sexual encounter or contact between Plaintiffs and Defendant was consensual.' He also argued that New York's law extending the statute of limitations on sexual abuse cases violated his constitutional rights. A message sent to an email address listed for him seeking comment was not immediately answered. In January, the judge in the case entered a default judgment against Toback, who had failed to appear in court when ordered to do so. The judge then scheduled a trial for only damages last month to determine how much Toback had to pay the women. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Robert Downey Jr. turns 60: a look back
Robert Downey Jr., known for "Less Than Zero," "The Pick-Up Artist," "Tropic Thunder," "Sherlock Holmes," "Iron Man" and "Oppenheimer," turns 60 on Friday. Here's a look back at his career through the years.
