The civil investigation places heightened scrutiny on an already reeling entertainment company. The inquiry will also examine whether the company itself bears financial responsibility for any misconduct.

The New York Times reported this month that Mr. Weinstein had faced allegations of sexual harassment, unwanted touching and other inappropriate behavior toward employees and actresses stretching back decades. It also found that he had made payments to at least eight women who accused him of sexual harassment, unwanted touching and other inappropriate behavior in exchange for their silence, but it was unclear where the money came from and whether people in the company were involved.

David Boies, a lawyer who has represented Mr. Weinstein as well as the company, has said the company and its board were aware of as many as four payouts to women. Lance Maerov, a board member, said he was told of only one settlement with a woman who complained of misconduct. Mr. Weinstein’s brother, Bob Weinstein, another co-founder, has declined to answer questions about the issue. The Weinstein Company did not return requests for comment on Monday morning.

In addition to the civil case, Harvey Weinstein has come under criminal investigation by the police in New York, Los Angeles and London for allegations of sexual assault in those three jurisdictions. The New Yorker documented some assault cases, included allegations of rape, and in recent weeks other women have come forward with claims of assault and misconduct by Mr. Weinstein over more than three decades.

The Weinstein Company fired him after the Times coverage and the upheaval that followed. The majority of its nine-member board has resigned. Bob Weinstein is scrambling to save the company while negotiating possible sales of some or all of the production studio. And employees are calling for the company to release them from their nondisclosure agreements so they can openly discuss what it was like to work there.