A Rundown of the Harvey Weinstein Trial

Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, recently diagnosed with COVID-19, has been trailed by rumors of sexual harassment and assault for much of his career, yet only recently have the multiple allegations against Weinstein gained the momentum necessary to be tried in court. Claims of sexual abuse date back to the early 1990s, including an incident involving Emmy-nominated actress Annabella Sciorra. Although her particular case passed the statute of limitations for criminal charge, her testimony was utilized in the trial in hopes of prosecuting a charge of predatory sexual assault. The timeline of repeated sexual assault and harassment incidents continued until 2015 when model Ambra Battilana Gutierrez reported Weinstien to the authorities for allegedly groping her at a meeting. In response, the police urged Gutierrez to wear a recording device and in doing so she captured Weinstein admitting to groping her and attempting, unsuccessfully, to take her to his room. However, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance decided not to pursue the case stating “a criminal charge is not supported” concerning Gutierrez’s accusation.

In October of 2017 The New York Times published an exposé detailing a list of several actresses and assistants accusing Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault. Unfortunately, following the official accusation made by Gutierrez, the Times article was the first real recognition garnered by sexual abuse allegations against Weinstein. That same day, Weinstein pledged to take a leave of absence and released a short statement in which he emphasized his respect for women. A few days later the Times published another article containing further accusations.

Over the course of several months Weinstein was expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and surrendered to the New York Police Department’s 1st Precinct in connection with sexual assault allegations on May 25, 2018. Following his initial arrest the former Hollywood producer was charged with Rape in the First and Third Degrees for a 2013 incident and Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree for an allegation from 2006. A week and a half later, Weinstein pleaded not guilty to the charges. Additional charges in accordance to a 2006 incident were filed on July 2, 2018 for one count of Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree and two counts of Predatory Sexual Assault; however, the charge of Criminal Sexual Act was later dismissed due to inconsistencies in evidence.

Weinstein’s trial began formally in Manhattan on January 6, 2020 under five counts including two counts of Predatory Sexual Assault which can lead to a life sentence. On the same day the Manhattan trial opened Weinstein was charged with four felony counts of sexual assault by the Los Angeles Country District Attorney Lacey in regards to mutiple assaults in 2013 over the span of two nights commited in local hotels. Five days later the jury came to a verdict charging Weinstein with Third Degree Rape and a First Degree Criminal Sexual Act, acquitting him of the most serious charges including Predatory Sexual Assault suggesting the jury was suspicious of Anabella Sciorra’s testimony as mentioned previously.

As the case moved towards sentencing, Weinstein’s defense asked for a minimal prison sentence over concern of his health which had fluctuated since conviction. Contrary to their hopes, on March 11, 2020 Weinstein was sentenced to 23 consecutive years in prison, consisting of 20 years in prison plus five years of supervised release for Criminal Sexual Act and three additional years for Third Degree Rape, nearly the maximum potential sentence of 29 years.

The Weinstein trial and sentencing were a major victory for the #MeToo Movement, not only in finding justice for the victims of Harvey Weinstein, but also giving hope and potentially a voice to other victims of sexual assault. Masterman Feminist Club (MFC) seemed to agree wholeheartedly that the outcome of the Weinstein trial was long-coming and well deserved. Alba Ferko (11-1), a member of MFC said this in response to the sentencing: “I’m glad that there’s finally some justice because particularly with Harvey Weinstein this has been going on for a really long time, and a lot of women and just people in general have been affected by this. Now that there’s finally justice and there’s the MeToo Movement it’s really empowering and liberating for women everywhere.”