The Writers Guild of America East has condemned James Toback after a Los Angeles Times story in which 38 women accused the director of sexual harassment. In a statement on Tuesday morning, WGA East, of which Toback is a member, wrote that “The allegations against James Toback are deeply troubling. They are both extensive and consistent, and this sort of behavior cannot be tolerated,” according to the Times.
The union has not yet announced any change to Toback’s membership status, but wrote that it would conduct “a thorough review of all the ways the union can fight to ensure that our members can work in an atmosphere free from sexual harassment and aggression.” Since the original Los Angeles Times story ran on Sunday, more than 200 additional women have come forward to accuse Toback of misconduct.
The Writers Guild had previously released a statement about sexual harassment earlier this month after the Harvey Weinstein scandal broke, calling it and sexual assault “hallmarks of the entertainment industry” and promising to review the union’s policies for prevention, reporting, and more, adding:
There might be some uncomfortable features of this struggle against harassment and abuse. The culture of silence will be difficult to change. Sometimes our own members might be perpetrators. In the long run it will be imperative to address the industry’s lack of diversity—the profound imbalance of power in the business of creating and distributing stories.
