Harvey Weinstein Found Guilty In Rape Trial
Former film mogul Harvey Weinstein, whose many accusers spurred the Me Too era with their public allegations of rampant sexual misconduct by him, was found guilty Monday on two charges ― a criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree.
However, the jury panel consisting of five women and seven men notably found him not guilty on the two most serious charges of predatory sexual assault.
The trial represented a milestone in the Me Too era, spanning six weeks of often emotional witness testimony and grueling cross-examination.
Weinstein, 67, pleaded not guilty to the five charges he faced, which stemmed from two incidents: Onetime aspiring actor Jessica Mann said Weinstein raped her in 2013, and former production assistant Miriam “Mimi” Haleyi said he sexually assaulted her in 2006. Several other women, including former “Sopranos” actor Annabella Sciorra, also took the stand to demonstrate a pattern of misbehavior.
Weinstein himself did not take the stand on advice from his attorneys, although he told reporters outside the courtroom that he would have liked to.
Jurors required clarification on how to assess the charges shortly after convening to begin deliberations last Tuesday, and on Wednesday appeared to hone in on Haleyi’s and Sciorra’s accusations, asking to review materials and testimony. But by Friday, they still appeared deadlocked on the most serious charges.
Since October 2017, when a pair of bombshell reports in The New York Times and The New Yorker detailed an array of disturbing accusations against the producer, more than 80 women ― actors Asia Argento, Rose McGowan, Gwyneth Paltrow and Lupita Nyong’o among their ranks ― came forward accusing him of sexual abuse.
But statutes of limitations and other factors prevented the vast majority from pursuing legal action.
The New York trial kicked off dramatically on Jan. 6, when prosecutors in Los Angeles announced their own sex crime charges against Weinstein the same...
