Genie Harrison

Some people have a calling. Harrison is one of them.

“I always wanted to fight on behalf of people who are taken advantage of,” she said. “It’s just in my nature that I stand up against people who abuse their power.”

In 2018, Harrison took on one of the most powerful men in the entertainment industry when she filed a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein and The Weinstein Co. on behalf of Sandeep Rehal, Weinstein’s former personal assistant.

Harrison now represents five Weinstein survivors – an endeavor the attorney said became “incredibly complex” as a result of the company’s bankruptcy proceedings.

Her client Rehal was appointed to the Unsecured Creditors’ Committee in the proceedings. Rehal v. Weinstein, 0151738/2018 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. May 24, 2018) For the past three years, Harrison said she has been working with the counsel for other committee members to maximize financial recoveries for Weinstein’s victims. The task was uniquely complicated, Harrison said, since the only assets that remained after the Weinstein Co.’s secured creditors were paid were insurance policies.

After substantial negotiations by Harrison and other attorneys, parties who had filed actions against Weinstein and his company – including Harrison’s clients – agreed to a settlement that included a $17 million Sexual Misconduct Claims Fund.

Examiners are currently evaluating claims for the funds, a process that will likely extend through the end of 2021.

“I often tell my clients that part of my job is to help them pack up their bags and move from victim land to survivor land, and I know how to do that,” Harrison said. “I will help them get there.”

— Jessica Mach