A little over two years after sexual misconduct accusations first surfaced about former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, the man himself has officially been found guilty of sexual assault and rape in New York City.
The trial lasted six weeks with a jury deliberation that spanned five days. It has since been announced that Weinstein has been convicted of criminal sexual assault in the first degree and rape in the third degree, and acquitted on rape in the first degree and two counts of sexual predatory assault.
The former charge stems from allegations by “Project Runway” production assistant Miriam Haley, the latter from former actress Jessica Mann. The incidents took place in 2006 and 2013 respectively.
In a statement, Time’s Up thanked the six women who testified during the trial:
“We owe a debt of gratitude to Mimi Haleyi, Jessica Mann, Annabella Sciorra, Dawn Dunning, Tarale Wulff and Lauren Young and all the Silence Breakers for their bravery and resolve as they faced this man in court. We continue to believe them – all of them – and continue to be in solidarity with them.
The jury’s verdict sends a powerful message to the world of just how much progress has been made since the Weinstein Silence Breakers ignited an unstoppable movement. In two short years, Time’s Up helped pass new laws to help survivors achieve justice, helped thousands of individuals take on harassers and abusers in court, and changed the game when it comes to how matters of safety and equity in the workplace are understood.
While we celebrate this historic moment, our fight to fix the broken system that has allowed serial abusers like Harvey Weinstein to abuse women in the first place continues. Abusers everywhere and the powerful forces that protect them should be on notice: There’s no going back.”
Sentencing will be forthcoming on March 11th, but both charges carry a maximum of 25 years. Ahead of his sentencing, District Attorney of New York County Cyrus Vance Jr. gave a press conference and confirmed Wesintein’s bail was revoked.
Weinstein will likely appeal these two convictions, but is also set to begin a trial in Los Angeles County soon where he faces multiple charges of sexual assault.
Source: Deadline
