Six women accused director Brett Ratner of sexual harassment and assault in a front page Los Angeles Times story published Wednesday. Ratner unequivocally denied every claim but Amy Kaufman, the journalist who broke the story, says that he may have another 20 allegations to contend with.

Marty Singer tells Rolling Stone “we are confident that [Ratner’s] name will be cleared once the current media frenzy dies down.” Meanwhile, I’ve been contacted by over 20 new accusers and am investigating their claims.

— Amy Kaufman (@AmyKinLA) November 1, 2017

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis of the crisis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Among the initial accusers was actress Olivia Munn, who accused Ratner of masturbating in front of when she delivered food to his trailer on a movie set.

Consequences have been swift for Ratner. Warner Bros. announced that it would be cutting ties with the director until his “personal issues” were resolved. Playboy Magazine, with whom Ratner had planned to collaborate on a Hugh Hefner biopic, pulled the plug on the project, stating that it is “deeply troubled” by the allegations.

Director Patty Jenkins, who presented Ratner with the Tree of Life award from the Jewish National Fund Sunday evening, posted her own horrified statement following the allegations.

pic.twitter.com/atHlox4Erx

— Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) November 1, 2017

Jenkins has credited Ratner in the past for helping to get her career off the ground.

Becky Scott is the editor of The Schmooze. Follow her on Twitter, @arr_scott

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse..

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount