• About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Terms of service
Monday, May 23, 2022
The Millennial Source
TMS
Home WORLD

Jury deliberates on the guilt of alleged rapist Harvey Weinstein

byJoseph Lyttleton
February 21, 2020
in WORLD
Source: Vanity Fair

Source: Vanity Fair

Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Linkedin



On Tuesday, February 18, 2020, the jury for the Harvey Weinstein trial began deliberations to determine whether the former Hollywood mogul should be convicted over multiple counts of rape. 

The charges against Weinstein relate to two separate women, though over 80 accusations of sexual misconduct have been made against the defendant since 2017.

Public reaction to Weinstein’s alleged sexual misdeeds have turned the #MeToo movement into an international platform for victims of sexual assault and harassment. Though the movement’s roots go back to the 2006 activism of Tarana Burke, the campaign exploded into the public consciousness when numerous celebrities began voicing it on their social media platforms.

The trial of Harvey Weinstein

Source: Straits Times

Weinstein is facing five charges of rape or sexual assault in Manhattan, based on the accusations of two women: Jessica Mann and Miriam Haley (Haley recently changed her last name from Haleyi). 

Mann, a former actress, alleges Weinstein raped her, while Haley, a former production assistant on “Project Runway,” has testified that Weinstein performed non-consensual oral sex on her.

The two women gave detailed testimony during the trial, describing situations when they were forced to perform unwanted, “degrading” sexual acts. Mann also reported that Weinstein appeared to her to be “deformed and intersex.”

A third prominent witness in the trial was “The Sopranos” actress Annabella Sciorra. Sciorra accused Weinstein of raping her in the mid-90s in her New York apartment. That alleged rape is not among the charges, as the statute of limitations for that crime has passed. Rather, Sciorra’s testimony was intended to support the prosecution’s case by showing Weinstein’s history of sexual predation.

On Tuesday, after two weeks of testimony, the trial entered the jury deliberation phase. As of today, the jury, which consists of five women and seven men, had yet to return a verdict.

The history of Harvey Weinstein

Source: AP Photo/John Minchillo

Prior to an avalanche of sexual misconduct accusations in 2017, Weinstein was one of the biggest names in Hollywood, a famous producer known for shepherding films to Oscar success. Along with his brother, Bob, his production credits include some of the most awarded films of the last quarter century, including “Pulp Fiction,” “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and “Shakespeare in Love.”

Source: Variety

On October 5, 2017, however, The New York Times published a bombshell report by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey that outlined how, for decades, Weinstein had paid off women who accused of him of sexual assault or rape.

Less than a week later, the New Yorker released their own investigative piece, written by Ronan Farrow, which included interviews with 13 of Weinstein’s alleged victims, conducted over a ten month period. Farrow’s piece reported incidences of assault and harassment ranging from the 1990s to 2015.

At the time, Weinstein released a statement, saying, “I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it. Though I’m trying to do better, I know I have a long way to go.” 

Weinstein’s lawyer at the time, Lisa Bloom, defended her client, saying he was “an old dinosaur learning new ways.”

In the ensuing months, dozens of women came forward to publicly accuse Weinstein of everything from rape and harassment to career sabotage for resisting his advances. 

By June 2018, 87 women had made accusations against Weinstein, including well-established actresses like Kate Beckinsale, Salma Hayek, Lupita Nyong’o, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Another actress, Rose McGowan, reached a settlement with Weinstein in 2007 for an unspecified interaction. In 2018, she released a memoir entitled “Brave” that includes a description of Weinstein’s alleged rape of her, something she alluded to in a series of tweets in October 2016.

The #MeToo movement ignites

Shortly after the Weinstein stories broke, a tweet by actress Alyssa Milano helped turn the phrase “me too” into a global rallying cry for victims of sexual assault. Milano asked those who had “been sexually harassed or assaulted [to] write ‘me too’ as a reply” to the tweet. 

If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet. pic.twitter.com/k2oeCiUf9n

— Alyssa Milano (@Alyssa_Milano) October 15, 2017

Women began sharing their stories across social media, using the hashtag #metoo to spread awareness.

However, well before the Weinstein stories broke, an activist named Tarana Burke had created a movement called Me Too as a means of helping victims of sexual violence. Burke’s focus was particularly on black women and girls who she found often lacked an outlet for discussing such matters.

In the years since the two Weinstein articles were published, countless powerful men across industries, most especially media figures, have faced accusations of sexual misconduct. 

Comedian Louis CK, former NBC newscaster Matt Lauer, and self-help guru Tony Robbins are just a few of the men who have been accused by multiple women.

[article_ad]

Related

Tags: North AmericaShort read
ShareTweetShare

Latest Posts

SEC Wall Street

The US SEC investigates Wall Street over use of unapproved messaging apps

May 19, 2022
US recession

There is a “very, very high risk” of a US recession, says Goldman Sachs Chairman Lloyd Blankfein

May 17, 2022
interest rates

US hikes rates by half-percentage point, rules out bigger future rate increases

May 5, 2022

What is the US Supreme Court abortion law leak, and why does it matter?

May 4, 2022

What you need to know about Pelosi’s secret trip to Kyiv

May 2, 2022

Warren Buffett is on a spending spree putting US$41 billion to work this quarter

May 2, 2022

Fed Chair Powell flags sharp rate hike next month

April 22, 2022

Goldman warns of a rate hike until inflation settles

January 23, 2022

Plan a weekend getaway at these 6 perfect lake destinations

October 12, 2021

SUBSCRIBE TO THE TMS NEWSLETTER

By providing your email, you agree to our Privacy Policy

The Millennial Source Ltd. 2021

No Result
View All Result
  • Your daily briefing
  • About us
  • Explore
    • Startups
    • Climate change
    • Tech giants
    • Crypto
    • The future of work
    • Banking giants
    • Economy
  • Lifestyle
  • TMS archives
  • Write for us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy & Terms

© 2022 The Millennial Source Ltd.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

 

Loading Comments...
 

    string(24) "jsonld single post debug"
    The Millennial Source
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.