'The buck stops with the studio!' Harvey Weinstein accusers argue amongst themselves after one victim of pervert Hollywood mogul wins $5.7 million payout whilst dozens of other women had to split $17 million in damages between them
Zoe Brock said she was happy for British actress Julia Ormond but the deal 'pisses me off' because she was one of dozens of women who had to split $17 million in 2021.
Ms Brock said that others may take aim at Disney, who Ms Ormond sued, because 'the buck stops' with the studio as it owned Weinstein's movie company Miramax until 2010.
Kaja Sokola, who testified at Weinstein's retrial in New York earlier this year, warned the settlement could be a 'blueprint' for others to follow.
This week DailyMail.com exclusively revealed the stunning payout to Ms Ormond, 60, who rose to fame starring opposite Brad Pitt in Legends of the Fall.
The out of court settlement came after she sued Miramax, Disney and her former agents Creative Artists Agency (CAA) claiming negligence for not protecting her from Weinstein even though they knew he could be dangerous.
Ms Ormond claimed that Weinstein stripped naked in front of her at her Manhattan apartment in 1995 and forced her to perform oral sex on him.
The settlement from Disney and Miramax does not include any admission of wrongdoing but it could open the door to dozens of similar cases.
Ms Ormond (pictured) claimed that Weinstein stripped naked in front of her at her Manhattan apartment in 1995 and forced her to perform oral sex on him
And it is a striking contrast to the $17 million settlement from 2021 for more than 40 women with Weinstein's bankrupt film company, The Weinstein Co.
Speaking from her home in New Zealand, Ms Brock praised Ms Ormond as a 'queen' for getting such a deal for herself.
Ms Brock, 51, a former model, has claimed that Weinstein took off his clothes and demanded a massage in a hotel room when she was 23, forcing her to hide in the bathroom.
She said that Ms Ormond has 'done what I wanted to do'.
Ms Brock said: 'My whole idea I went to the lawyers with was to go after Disney
'Everything was covered up, everything was'.
Ms Brock said that the class action lawsuit, which led to the 2021 settlement, was the thing that 'undid us'.
She said: 'The class action lawsuit was the worst thing that any of the Weinstein survivors could have gotten involved in. We were conned into it. It bit us on the a**.
'I was the last person who tried to hold out and not take that settlement and appeal
'The problem was….that I was broke, a single mom, totally trying to get my life back together. The amount it would cost was astronomical. I couldn't afford it'.
The day Ms Brock took the deal, which she said was in the 'low, low six figures', she 'puked and cried'.
She said: 'It was awful. I put that small amount in a trust for my kid and tried to move on. It pisses me off.
'I am so happy for Julia. Smart girl. Clever girl. What a woman. Go for it. F*** them where it hurts'.
Ms Brock said that others may follow suit because 'Miramax was part of Disney, it was a clear step. Miramax did not exist without Disney.
'The buck stops at Disney'.
Ms Sokola, 45, a former model, testified at Weinstein's retrial about two instances of sexual assault, one in 2002 when she was just 16 and a second one in 2006.
Weinstein was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape in 2020 and sentenced to 23 years in prison, but the conviction was overturned on appeal in April 2024 and Weinstein is now being retried on the charges
The jury acquitted Weinstein on the counts related to her testimony, however they found him guilty of sexual assault related to another accuser. A mistrial was declared over a rape allegation.
Ms Sokola said she was 'really happy' for Ms Ormond.
She said: 'What they did, especially the companies, the settlement she received should be a blueprint for all other races that involved other big companies that should be responsible for the people that work for them'.
'Do I think it's fair for the other women? Of course I don't. I wish all the other women got money to at least conceive they couldn't work.
'At the same time if I could give advice to anyone thinking about proceeding in that step, just reach out to the best lawyer you can'.
Ms Sokola said that during early discussions with Weinstein's companies figures in excess of $100 million were touted for his victims, which are thought to run into the hundreds.
Instead some women ended up with tens of thousands of dollars.
Ms Sokola saidL 'I would say if someone feels they have a unique individual case, I'd suggest they go for it.
'This is such a gamble. You never know what will be the outcome'.
Ms Brock's lawyer was Doug Wigdor, dubbed the 'no.1 MeToo lawyer in America': his other clients include Cassandra Ventura, who testified earlier this year at the trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs.
During the case it emerged that Ms Ventura had gotten a $20 million payout from Combs after suing him in 2023. She is also set to get another $10 million from a Los Angeles hotel where he subjected her to a brutal beating.
Mr Wigdor has another client, former model Sara Ziff, who has also sued Disney for its failure to protect her from Weinstein: her case is ongoing.
One hitch for potential litigants is that Ms Ormond's case was filed under the Adult Survivors Act, a 2022 law in New York that allowed a one year window to file civil cases that were normally past the statute of limitations.
However other laws may provide a way for cases to be filed and similar legislation could be passed in the future again.
Meredith Firetog, a partner at Mr Wigdor's law firm who worked on Ms Ormond's case, said that they were 'happy' with the settlement.
She said: 'Harvey Weinstein didn't operate in a vacuum and it's important to hold those people and institutions accountable'.
Elizabeth Fagan, the lawyer who brokered the 2021 settlement for Weinstein's victims, did not respond to requests for comment.
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