Disgraced Hollywood producer, former Weinstein Company owner, and now convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein, whose ousting sparked the #MeToo Movement, was found guilty of multiple charges in New York court. According to The New York Times, Weinstein was convicted by the jury on one charge of first degree criminal sexual assault against Project Runway production assistant Miriam “Mimi” Haley and third degree rape against former hairstylist Jessica Mann. However, the jury also acquitted him on charges of predatory sexual assault, a crime affiliated with testimony given by Sopranos actress Annabella Sciorra.
Weinstein, currently 67, could face up to 25 years in prison depending on the verdict. His guilt in a court of law marks a dramatic victory for the MeToo movement, which formed in 2017 following the release of exposés by the Times and New Yorker detailing Weinstein’s various acts of sexual misconduct and harassment towards Hollywood actresses. Six women testified against Weinstein but only two’s accounts were part of the charges, while the remaining four were used to identify a pattern of behavior. The guilty charges aligned with Haley’s claim that Weinsten forced oral sex on her at his apartment in 2006 and Mann’s claim that he raped her in a Midtown Manhattan hotel room in 2013.
However, according to Deadline, the jury’s acquittal of predatory charges required finding Weinstein guilty of charges against Mann and/or Haley, plus Sciorra. While her testimony was used in court, it couldn’t be added as a secondary rape charge due to the 1993-94 timeframe exceeding the statute of limitations. This proved to be a source of divisiveness for the jury, who remained deadlocked on a verdict last week and requested to rehear testimony on her specific charges.
This story is still in progress, so any more updates in Weinstein’s trial will be reported. After all, he still faces another sexual misconduct trial in Los Angeles following this one.
Leave a Comment