Weinstein company to face civil rights probe to see if sexual harassment at firm was pervasive

New York's top prosecutor has announced a probe into whether there was a culture of sexual harassment at the company co-founded by Harvey Weinstein and whether there were any civil rights abuses there.

Prosecutors will subpoena documents including those linked to complaints about sexual harassment and how they were dealt with at the Weinstein Company, the BBC reported.

New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman said in a statement: "No New Yorker should be forced to walk into a workplace ruled by sexual intimidation, harassment, or fear.

"If sexual harassment or discrimination is pervasive at a company, we want to know."

More than two dozen women - among them actresses Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rose McGowan - have made a number of accusations against Harvey Weinstein who has "unequivocally denied" any allegations of non-consensual sex.

Some refer to strict non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) that have stopped them from speaking out.

But Zelda Perkins, who says Weinstein sexually harassed her when she was his assistant, broke the NDA saying: "I want to call into question the legitimacy of agreements where the inequality of power is so stark and relies on money rather than morality."

Weinstein's spokeswoman has not commented on the latest move by the New York prosecutor. The Weinstein Company, the firm behind hits like The King's Speech, Carol and The Butler is currently at risk of collapsing, as it could face a number of investor and victim lawsuits.