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Tag: HARVEY WEINSTEIN

  • Hollywood reacts to Weinstein ruling

    Hollywood reacts to Weinstein ruling

    Hollywood stars who have accused Harvey Weinstein of assault, reacted with shock and outrage Thursday after the former movie producer’s New York sex crimes conviction was overturned.

    Rosanna Arquette, Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino were among those to speak out as Weinstein’s 2020 conviction for rape and sexual assault was reversed by the city’s highest court on Thursday.

    Weinstein — who is also serving a separate 16-year rape sentence handed down in California — has been ordered to face a new trial in New York.

    Here are some key reactions to the overturning of one of the defining cases of the #MeToo movement:

    “Harvey was rightfully convicted. It’s unfortunate that the court has overturned his conviction. As a survivor, I am beyond disappointed” — Rosanna Arquette, actress and Weinstein accuser, to The Hollywood Reporter.

    “This is unfair to survivors. We live in our truth. We know what happened” — Ashley Judd, the first actress to come forward with allegations against Weinstein, via Instagram.

    “Horrified!… Since when don’t courts allow evidence of pattern of prior bad acts to be admitted? He’s a prolific serial predator who raped/harmed 200+women! Disgusted w/justice system skew twds predators not victims” — Mira Sorvino, actress and Weinstein accuser, via social media platform X.

    “Woke up to this news. I feel more than ever how important it is to keep breaking silence about sexual predators, and to keep supporting victims as they speak out” — Katherine Kendall, actress and Weinstein accuser, via Instagram.

    “This is an ongoing failure of the justice system — and the courts — to take survivors seriously and to protect our interests. (Manhattan District Attorney Alvin) Bragg ran for office in 2021 because his predecessor failed so many of us. We expect him to pursue Weinstein now” — Ambra Battilana Gutierrez, model and Weinstein accuser, via X.

    “Let this be a reminder how rigged the American judicial system is against women and survivors of sexual violence, and what it takes to ‘prove’ your truth in this world” — Amber Tamblyn, actress, via Instagram.

    “They will never overturn who we are. Blessings to all who gave their all #spirit #courage #unity” — Rose McGowan, actress and Weinstein accuser, via Instagram.

    “(T)his is a stark reminder that the criminal justice system is not set up to serve actual justice and that anyone insisting that ‘me too is over’ or ‘has gone too far’ needs to look at the actual state of the world” — Sarah Ann Masse, actress and Weinstein accuser, via e-mail.

  • Hollywood mogul Weinstein sentenced to 23 years in prison

    Hollywood mogul Weinstein sentenced to 23 years in prison

    Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison by a judge in a Manhattan court on Wednesday following his recent rape and sexual assault conviction.

    The disgraced Hollywood mogul could have faced a minimum sentence of five and a maximum sentence of 29 years behind bars.

    Judge James Burke, who presided over the trial, heard statements from Weinstein and the two women he was convicted of assaulting before handing out the sentence.

    A jury found the once-powerful producer guilty on February 24 of a criminal sexual act for forcing oral sex on former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and of the third-degree rape of aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013.

    The verdict was celebrated as a turning point by the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment that Weinstein’s crimes had helped spread.

  • Harvey Weinstein found guilty of sexual assault

    Harvey Weinstein found guilty of sexual assault

    Renowned US filmmaker, Harvey Weinstein, has been convicted of a first-degree criminal sex act and third-degree rape involving two different women.

    The 67-year-old has been in a legal tussle with multiple women on sexual misconduct allegations, with Lupita Nyong’o, a Kenyan-Mexican actress, detailing her personal experience with Weinstein in 2017.

    The many allegations had given rise to the #MeToo movement, which sees a huge number of women publicly accuse business moguls, government officials, and entertainers of sexual assault alike.

    On Monday, Weinstein was found guilty in Manhattan state court of committing a criminal sex act in the first degree involving one woman and rape in the third degree involving another woman, but was acquitted on charges of predatory sexual assault involving the two women.

    The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for nearly 27 hours over five days.

    Following his conviction, Weinstein, who had been free on bond during the trial, was handcuffed while the judge ordered him to be sent to jail immediately, pending his March 11 sentencing by James Burke.

    Although it’s uncertain how many years Weinstein will do in prison, an offender risks a minimum of five years and a maximum of 25 years jail term for a first-degree criminal sex act.

    In the same vein, Weinstein faces no minimum jail term on the second charge for which he was convicted but risks a maximum of four years — aside from other sexual assault charges against him.

    TheNewsGuru recalls that Weinstein was said to have agreed to pay the sum of $25 million in settlement to dozens of women who accused him of sexual misbehaviour.

    The deal was, however, to await final approval from the courts and individuals involved, having applied to Weinstein’s numerous alleged victims in the US, Canada, Britain, and Ireland.

     

  • Weinstein finally agrees to $25 million settlement with accusers

    Weinstein finally agrees to $25 million settlement with accusers

    Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has reached a $25 million settlement with dozens of women who accused him of sexual misconduct.

    The once-powerful producer of “Pulp Fiction” and “Sin City”, whose case sparked the #MeToo movement against sex crimes, faces a criminal trial next month that could see him jailed for life.

    The payout from a separate civil case will be shared among more than 30 actresses and former employees who have sued the 67-year-old for offences ranging from sexual harassment to rape.

    Weinstein will not have to admit wrongdoing or pay from his own pocket, celebrity news portal TMZ said, with the bill instead of being met by insurers for his bankrupt former movie studio, The Weinstein Company.

    The deal will have to be signed by all parties and get court approval to resolve almost every misconduct lawsuit brought against him since 2017 and insulate company directors from future liability.

    Weinstein’s accusers include some of the world’s most famous actresses — including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Salma Hayek — although none is part of the proceedings.

    “Boardwalk Empire” actress Paz de la Huerta, who accused the producer of raping her in 2010, is expected to be part of the settlement, her lawyer Aaron Filler told AFP.

    The criminal claims against him involve just two accusers, meaning the civil settlement represents the only chance of justice for the many women who have accused Weinstein of abuse.

    But several accusers and their lawyers have denounced the deal.

    “We plan to vigorously object to any provision that tries to bind victims who want to proceed with holding Harvey Weinstein accountable for his actions,” said lawyer Douglas Wigdor, who is representing two women in claims against the producer.

    Anti-sexual harassment campaign group Time’s Up, created in the wake of accusations against Weinstein, said it hoped that the settlement brought Weinstein’s victims “some small measure of long-overdue justice” but added the size of the payout was inadequate.

    “If this is the best the survivors could get, the system is broken,” the group tweeted.

     

  • Sad! Harvey Weinstein faces fresh charges

    Sad! Harvey Weinstein faces fresh charges

    Renowned Hollywood director, Harvey Weinstein on Monday had added charges levelled against him, including predacious sexual assault.

     

    The new charges were declared by Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., the Manhattan District Attorney in a statement on the official website of the district.

     

    Part of the statement read, “the filing of a superseding indictment containing additional charges against HARVEY WEINSTEIN, 66. Pursuant to the D.A.’s Office’s ongoing investigation, the Grand Jury has charged WEINSTEIN with an additional count of Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree for a forcible sexual act against a third woman in 2006, as well as two counts of Predatory Sexual Assault, a Class A-II felony which carries a minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.”

     

    Recall that Weinstein was arrested in New York and first appeared in court in May in connection with accusations of rape from two women. At a further court appearance in June, Weinstein pleaded not guilty.

    In a statement, Weinstein’s attorney Benjamin Brafman, said: “Mr Weinstein will enter a plea of not guilty to the new charges. Mr Weinstein maintains that all of these allegations are false and he expects to be fully vindicated.”

    “A Manhattan grand jury has now indicted Harvey Weinstein on some of the most serious sexual offences that exist under New York’s Penal Law,” said District Attorney Vance. “This indictment is the result of the extraordinary courage exhibited by the survivors who have come forward. Our investigation continues.

    In the same vein, Bill Cosby was convicted of sexual assault in April. Many more of his victims testified at his retrial than at his first trial in 2017, which ended in a mistrial. He is due to be sentenced on 24 September.

     

  • Harvey Weinstein tried to abuse me sexually- Lupita Nyong’o

     

    Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o has accused Harvey Weinstein of making a move on her that she dodged by giving him a massage to avoid something potentially worse.

    Recall that in 2011 when the 12 Years a Slave actress was still a student at Yale, Nyong’o said she met the powerful Hollywood mogul at a film festival and he supposedly invited her back to his home in Westport, Connecticut, to watch a film he had just produced.

    Fifteen minutes into the film, Weinstein — with his kids in the house at the time — allegedly made his creepy move.

     

    “Harvey led me into a bedroom — his bedroom — and announced that he wanted to give me a massage. I thought he was joking at first,” Nyong’o wrote in a New York Times op-ed piece.

    “He was not. For the first time since I met him, I felt unsafe. I panicked a little and thought quickly to offer to give him one instead: It would allow me to be in control physically, to know exactly where his hands were at all times.”

    Nyong’o had studied massage as part of her drama school curriculum at Yale and figured this was her best move to control the suddenly scary situation.

    “I felt I could rationalize giving him one and keep a semblance of professionalism despite the bizarre circumstance,” she wrote. “He agreed to this and lay on the bed. I began to massage his back to buy myself time to figure out how to extricate myself from this undesirable situation.

    “Before long he said he wanted to take off his pants. I told him not to do that and informed him that it would make me extremely uncomfortable. He got up anyway to do so and I headed for the door, saying that I was not at all comfortable with that”, she said.

     

    The role interpreter said she had to escape through the bedroom door and talked her way out of the scene.

     

    “I opened the door and stood by the frame. He put his shirt on and again mentioned how stubborn I was. I agreed with an easy laugh, trying to get myself out of the situation safely,” Nyong’o wrote.

    “I was after all on his premises, and the members of his household, the potential witnesses, were all (strategically, it seems to me now) in a soundproof room.”

    Nyong’o kept quiet about the weird interaction for all these years — and now blames herself for not speaking out earlier.

    “I had shelved my experience with Harvey far in the recesses of my mind, joining in the conspiracy of silence that has allowed this predator to prowl for so many years,” she said. “I had felt very much alone when these things happened, and I had blamed myself for a lot of it, quite like many of the other women who have shared their stories.”

     

    READ ALSO: LAPD investigating Harvey Weinstein after actress in L.A. accuses him of 2013 rape