Harvey Weinstein resigns from Weinstein Co board

By Lisa Richwine

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Harvey Weinstein has resigned from the board of The Weinstein Company, it said on Tuesday, as he faces allegations that he sexually harassed or assaulted a number of women over three decades in the film business.

In a statement, the board said it also ratified its Oct. 8 decision to fire Weinstein as chief executive of the award-winning movie and television company he co-founded with his brother.

A source close to Weinstein confirmed that he had resigned from the board and had no further comment. Weinstein has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone.

Also on Tuesday, Toyota Motor Corp's Lexus unit said it was evaluating its partnership with the Weinstein Co. Lexus, Toyota's luxury brand, is a sponsor of reality TV show "Project Runway," which Weinstein Co produces.

"Lexus does not condone any acts of sexual harassment, assault or discrimination. In light of recent allegations involving Harvey Weinstein, we are currently evaluating our partnership with The Weinstein Company, but have nothing to announce at this time," Lexus said in a statement.

A representative for the Lifetime cable network, which airs "Project Runway," did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Weinstein's executive producer credit and the Weinstein Co logo were removed from the show last week.

Weinstein Co is trying to chart a future without Weinstein, the aggressive dealmaker with a talent for managing Hollywood talent, money and egos. On Monday, it said it was in talks to sell the bulk of its assets to private equity firm Colony Capital.

One of Hollywood's most influential forces since launching in October 2005, Weinstein Co has produced and distributed films including "The King's Speech" and "Silver Linings Playbook." Its television unit produces the long-running reality series "Project Runway."

Harvey Weinstein is credited with conceiving the strategy that scored dozens of Oscar awards for the company's films.

Hollywood trade publication Variety on Tuesday reported a separate harassment allegation against Bob Weinstein, Harvey's younger brother and co-founder of Weinstein Co.

Bert Fields, an attorney for Bob Weinstein, said in a statement that the story was "false and misleading."

"There is no way in the world that Bob Weinstein is guilty of sexual harassment," Fields said in the statement.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Additional reporting by Sheila Dang; Editing by Bill Rigby, Jonathan Oatis and Richard Chang)