Harvey Weinstein had a contract drawn up in 2015, in which the board of his film company could not terminate his employment over sexual harassment claims if he paid off women to silence them – as long as he paid out the money himself, according to reports.

The fine to the company was on a sliding scale, the gossip website TMZ reported – $250,000 for the first payout, $500,000 for the second such instance, $750,000 for the third, and $1 million for each additional instance.

TMZ’s disclosure raises questions as to whether Weinstein – who was fired by the board on Sunday – could sue the company. A source connected to The Weinstein Company told TMZ that the company had a right to fire Weinstein if he failed to notify the board of any settlements that were reached – but as there had not been any payouts since 2015, the clause was irrelevant.

The Weinstein Company did not respond to The Daily Telegraph’s request for comment, and Harvey Weinstein’s representative, Sallie Hofmeister, said the 65-year-old had no comment.

TMZ also reported that Weinstein was preparing to contest his firing from The Weinstein Company at their next board meeting, on October 17.