Director James Toback has been ordered to pay $1.68 billion after 40 women testified against him in a week-long sexual assault trial. He was one of the first people to be specifically called out during the #MeToo movement in 2017, with stars like Julianne Moore and Ellen Pompeo accusing him of sexual harassment. “I think this jury spoke loud and clear,” Brad Beckworth, an attorney for the plaintiffs, shared, per Variety. “We wanted their voice to be heard and to reverberate across the country to tell insiders and people in positions of power that we will not tolerate using that power against women.” The jury decided on $280 million in compensatory damages and $1.4 billion in punitive damages. He was not in attendance.
Since the original Los Angeles Times reporting, more than 300 people have accused Toback of harassment. He was accused of approaching women, telling them he was a famous director, and luring them to another location and sexually assaulting them. “This will be his legacy, absolutely,” plaintiff Mary Monahan shared with The Times. “It won’t be Bugsy. And that is immensely validating. A jury heard us and a jury believed us.”
