Writer and director James Toback has received multiple accusations of sexual harassment from almost 40 women.
Thirty-eight women have come forward and made assertions of sexual harassment against Toback. The accusers talked to the Los Angeles Times and 31 of the women bravely went on the record about their harrowing experience.
The majority of the women that came out were as young as 18 to 19 years old when the harassment occurred. They said that Toback would boast about his film accomplishments and offer them help with their careers. Once they were alone with him, he would ask them disturbingly personal questions and touch them inappropriately.
This is not the first time that Toback has found himself embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal. In 1989, a Spy Magazine article detailed the director's rude behavior towards women. This behavior talked about in the article matches with the stories of the women who recently came out.
Majority of them admitted that they did not tell anyone about the incidents to either protect their blossoming careers or out of fear of Toback's influence in the industry.
Toback has been in the industry since the 1970s. He began his career with writing the film "The Gambler" which came out in 1974 and starred James Caan, Paul Sorvino and Lauren Hutton. Four years later, he went into directing with the movie "Fingers."
The new wave of women coming out and opening up about their experience with Toback is partly due to the Harvey Weinstein scandal. After seeing the studio executive fired from his own company as well as being stripped of his membership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the accusers felt that this would be the time to also tell their stories.
Aside from Toback and Weinstein, APA agent Tyler Grasham was also kicked out of the talent agency he works for after pedophilia allegations about him surfaced.
This shocking scandal enveloping Hollywood still has everyone reeling and imagining just how deep the culture of sexual predation runs in the industry and how many other names will come out in the future.
