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Harvey Weinstein Will Fight His Firing From Company, Source Says

Harvey Weinstein will fight to stay on the board of his company despite allegations of sexual misconduct, a source close to the Hollywood mogul says.
Image: Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein at The Paris Premiere Of Le Discours D'Un Roi (The King's Speech) At Ugc Normandie on January 4, 2011 in Paris.Bertrand Rindoff Petroff / Getty Images file

Harvey Weinstein isn't going down without a fight.

A source close to the embattled Hollywood mogul confirmed to NBC News that he will contest a move to fire him from his movie and TV company at an Oct. 17 board meeting.

The Weinstein Co., now run by Weinstein’s brother, Bob, and chief operating officer David Glasser, said in a statement Sunday that he was fired "In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days," after the New York Times and New Yorker published allegations of sexual harassment or assault over the decades.

A wave of Hollywood actresses, including Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, came forward and alleged sexual misconduct. Actress Rose McGowan has also alleged that she was raped by the movie mogul.

Weinstein has denied the allegations that he engaged in non-consensual sex with women, and no criminal charges have been brought against him.

"Any allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein," Weinstein’s spokeswoman, Sallie Hofmeister, said in a statement this week.

Related: Harvey Weinstein Says 'I'm Not Doing OK' as Brother Calls Him 'Very Sick Man'

The news that Harvey Weinstein is fighting on despite being disgraced by Hollywood was first reported by the Hollywood website TMZ.

The beleaguered Weinstein Co. saw another board departure on Thursday evening with Richard Koenigsberg opting to step down, according to a source in a position to know. Koenigsberg is the fifth board executive to exit in the past week.

Last weekend four directors departed, including Dirk Ziff, Marc Lasry, Tim Sarnoff and Paul Tudor Jones.

The company is facing a potential crisis as a result of partners reconsidering working with the firm, which is 42 percent owned by Harvey and Bob Weinstein.

Apple has reportedly said it was suspending a biopic series "Elvis" from the Weinstein Co., according to Deadline. Hachette Books terminated its deal with Weinstein Books, the New York Times reported, and Amazon Studios was "reviewing" its relationship, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The company denied any notion of a sale or bankruptcy, suggested by Wall Street Journal article on Friday evening. In a statement Friday, company co-chair Bob Weinstein said: "Our banks, partners and shareholders are fully supportive of our company and it is untrue that the company or board is exploring a sale or shutdown of the company."

The Weinstein board has said it was blindsided by the allegations. “These allegations come as an utter surprise to the Board. Any suggestion that the Board had knowledge of this conduct is false,” the Weinstein Co. board of representatives said in a statement on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is set to meet Saturday to decide if it should take any action against Harvey Weinstein.

"The Academy finds the conduct described in the allegations against Harvey Weinstein to be repugnant, abhorrent, and antithetical to the high standards of the Academy and the creative community it represents. The Board of Governors will be holding a special meeting on Saturday, October 14, to discuss the allegations against Weinstein and any actions warranted by the Academy."

Related: Some Victims Feel Lot to Lose, Little to Gain by Reporting Sex Harassment

At least one member, CBS Films boss Terry Press Marx, said in a Facebook post reviewed by NBC News and widely reported that she will step down if the Academy doesn't take action against Weinstein. She declined further comment to NBC News.

"If the Academy does not kick him out, I am resigning my Academy membership," Marx wrote.