On February 24, a New York jury found Harvey Weinstein guilty on one count of criminal sexual assault in the first degree and of rape in the third degree. He was acquitted of three other charges, including the highest charge of predatory sexual assault, but will still be sentenced to five to 29 years in prison. He will be officially sentenced on March 11th, but for now sits and waits in his hospital room as the world reacts to his verdict. Weinstein was due to be sent immediately to prison following his guilty verdict but began experiencing chest pains as the verdict was read and left the courthouse in an ambulance rather than a prison transport.
Weinstein’s guilty sentence marks a turning point in the #MeToo movement, as he was one of the first men to have been accused of sexual assault when the movement first began to gain traction. In a way, he was the first domino to fall, as more and more women came out with allegations against him and many other powerful men in Hollywood after the first one was made. He became the first man to be removed from a position of power and criminally prosecuted during the movement, and now has finally been found guilty. At least 80 women have come forward to accuse Weinstein of some degree of sexual misconduct, but the case in New York was based upon charging him for the assaults of two women. Six women in total testified at his trial, but the incidents four of them were testifying to had occurred outside of New York’s statute of limitations and could not be prosecuted. Their testimonies were instead given to show a pattern of sexual misconduct by Weinstein, and to support the charge of predatory sexual assault, which requires proof that the defendant attacked at least two victims. Unfortunately, he was not convicted of this charge, but many proponents of the #MeToo movement and other Weinstein accusers have commended the women who testified. Even if he wasn’t convicted of his highest charge, Harvey Weinstein is now a convicted rapist.
So, what’s next for Weinstein? He still faces criminal charges in Los Angeles from two anonymous women, although it is unclear how these will play out following the verdict in New York. Weinstein’s lead defense attorney, Donna Rotunno, is insistent that the trial in New York was unfair and prejudiced against him, asserting that the team will be filing appeals against the verdict. Rotunno, a high-profile female attorney from Chicago who has built a career in defending men accused of sexual assault, has drawn much attention herself during the course of the trial for being a woman defending Weinstein and for other controversial statements she has made. She has spoken out repeatedly against the #MeToo movement and told the New York Times’ podcast ‘The Daily’ that she had never been sexually assaulted because she “would never put [her]self in that position.” She hasn’t made it clear when or on what grounds the Weinstein legal team will be filing appeals against his verdict, but has been very insistent that it is their next step.
Until March 11, Harvey Weinstein will wait in his hospital room to see for how long he will be sentenced to prison. Afterwards, he could immediately face trial in Los Angeles, or will undergo an appeal process, or make his way to prison. No matter what, he has been found guilty, and the once-powerful Hollywood mogul has been toppled by women speaking their truth.
