Harvey Weinstein (Photo: Shutterstock)

Harvey Weinstein, his brother Bob Weinstein and their film company are said to have reached a global settlement over claims of sexual harassment and misconduct alleged by several women and the New York Attorney General's Office.

An attorney representing Bob Weinstein in the litigation told a judge at a federal bankruptcy court in Delaware on Thursday that the parties had reached a deal to settle those claims, according to audio of the hearing obtained from the court docket.

The deal is not final; attorneys will still have to present the agreement to the various courts where litigation against the Weinsteins and their company exists. Bob Weinstein was represented at the hearing by Adam Harris, a partner at Schulte Roth & Zabel.

Harris said they were close to reaching a global settlement at the end of last year but that the parties involved backed off from making a deal before it was resolved. They have since come back together through mediation and reached an agreement, he said.

“I'm pleased to report that the culmination of all those efforts and the hard-fought negotiations is that for the first time, as of yesterday … we now have an economic agreement in principle that's supported by the plaintiffs, the AG's office, the defendants, and all of the insurers, that if approved will provide significant compensation to victims, creditors of the state, and allow the parties to avoid years of costly, time consuming, and uncertain litigation on all sides,” Harris said. “Obviously that's the definition of what we think is a good settlement.”

The amount of the settlement, between all parties, is said to be as much as $44 million, according to news reports published late Thursday night. The settlement was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The agreement would mean a resolution of the New York Attorney General's litigation against the Weinsteins, who are alleged to have violated the state's civil rights laws by allowing persistent claims of sexual harassment and misconduct at their company to go unchecked over several years.

Representatives for New York Attorney General Letitia James did not immediately respond to a request to comment or for more information. A spokeswoman for the office had declined to comment to the Wall Street Journal.

But Harris did say during the hearing that the litigation from James' office could evolve in the near future. New York could soon file an amended lawsuit to include more defendants, he said. The litigation currently only involves Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein and their film company.

“We've got the attorney general's investigation, which is a whole separate action that was filed, and the AG is looking at potentially filing an amended complaint there to include more potential defendants,” Harris said.

A lawyer representing the New York Attorney General's Office joined the hearing by phone but did not touch on the settlement agreement or the possibility of their lawsuit being amended in the near future. The name of the attorney was unintelligible on the audio.

Harris said during the hearing that he was optimistic with the outcome of the settlement but cautioned that it's not a done deal until the ink has dried in every venue where the Weinsteins face litigation. Those lawsuits have come from individuals in the U.S., Canada and even Europe.

“Personally, I am very optimistic, given everything the parties have been through to date, that we all now see that this is the right solution and now is the time to start working on the documentation without distraction in order to bring it to your honor and other courts for approval,” Harris said.

Harvey Weinstein is still facing charges of rape and committing a sexual act in New York, where Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance announced charges against him nearly a year ago.

This is a developing story.