Harvey Weinstein Accused of Masturbating in Front of Female TV Reporter

The alleged incident occurred in 2007 near the kitchen of an NYC restaurant that Weinstein was an investor in.

Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood production giant who found himself embroiled in allegations of sexual assault this week following a New York Times report, has now been accused of masturbating in front of a female television reporter, according to reports from HuffPost.

The alleged incident took place a decade ago in the hallway of New York City's Cafe Socialista restaurant, which was closed to the public that night. Weinstein had met reporter Lauren Sivan, a news anchor on local NYC cable channel News 12 Long Island, earlier in the night at Cipriani restaurant in Manhattan, where Weinstein was friends with the owner. Later in the evening, the group relocated to Socialista, a club in which Weinstein and Cipriani's owner, Giuseppe Cipriani, were investors.

Once at the club, Sivan tells HuffPost, Weinstein invited her on a tour of the accompanying restaurant, Cafe Socialista, an offer she "reluctantly" agreed to. According to the report, Sivan told her friend accompanying her that if she was not back within 10 minutes, to come make sure she was OK.

Weinstein led Sivan to the kitchen of the restaurant, which was closed at the time. There were two staffers in the kitchen, whom Weinstein excused, leaving him alone with Sivan in a small area just outside the kitchen. Sivan claims Weinstein then attempted to kiss her, at which point she pulled away and told Weinstein she had a boyfriend. Weinstein reportedly answered by saying, "Well, can you just stand there and shut up," then exposed himself, masturbated and quickly ejaculated into a nearby potted plant. He then zipped up his pants and exited through the kitchen.

Sivan's friend, meanwhile, had attempted to check on her companion, as the agreed-upon 10-minute limit had expired. According to Sivan's accounts, her friend was stopped by security when she attempted to go downstairs from the club to check on Sivan. When the friend protested, she was allowed passage and met with Sivan and Weinstein just as they were exiting the kitchen. The duo exited the club abruptly, with Sivan immediately recounting the experience to her compatriot.

Sivan claimed that Weinstein called for her at her office the next day to tell her he "had a great time last night." He then invited Sivan to reconvene with him when he returned from a trip abroad, to which she stated once more that she was in a relationship and ended the call. She claims she has had no further contact with Weinstein since the incident.

Sivan tweeted on Friday night about the reports, writing, "Yeah. This happened. Luckily I didn't need a job or favor from him + didn't have to be polite. Others did. Keep that in mind."

Yeah. This happenedluckily I didn't need a job or favor from him + didn't have to be polite. Others did. Keep that in mind. https://t.co/mXs2RIU5kU — Lauren Sivan (@LaurenSivan) October 7, 2017

The Weinstein Co. announced earlier Friday evening that Weinstein himself would be taking an "indefinite leave of absence." The TWC board also announced they it be hiring an outside law firm to investigate the claims of sexual harassment at the company. Additionally, three members of the nine-member all-male board of the Weinstein Co. have now resigned. They include Dirk Ziff, Tim Sarnoff and Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry, who joined the board when former Cablevision CEO (and close friend of Weinstein's) James Dolan vacated his seat in June 2016.

The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Weinstein's attorney, Lisa Bloom, for comment on the alleged masturbation incident, as well as representatives at TWC. The requests for comment were not immediately returned.