Harvey Weinstein resigns from Weinstein Co board

By Lisa Richwine

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Harvey Weinstein has resigned from the board of The Weinstein Company, the board announced 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 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.

The Weinstein Co is now 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, The Weinstein Co has produced and distributed films including "The King's Speech" and "Silver Linings Playbook." Its TWC 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 reported earlier on Tuesday that Weinstein had resigned from the company's board.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Bill Rigby and Jonathan Oatis)