Harvey Weinstein Found Guilty of Rape

Harvey Weinstein, once known as one of the most influential Hollywood producers, was found guilty of two felony sex crimes, being first-degree criminal sexual assault and third-degree rape, on Monday, February 24th, 2020, after his court case. However, the jury did acquit Weinstein of the two most serious charges against him, being predatory sexual assault. At the age of 67 years old, he faces a possible sentence of 23 years in prison.

The trial was a landmark event for the #MeToo movement, as the movement led more and more women to speak up about their experiences with not only Weinstein but the people that sexually abuse them all across the globe. Weinstein’s conviction is simply seen as proof that even some of the most powerful people in the world can be held accountable for their actions, and it doesn’t matter what you work as, how old you are, where you’re from, or how much money you have when it comes to sexual assault and rape.

Directly after Weinstein’s conviction, as officers approached him to take him to jail, Weinstein seemed stunned and refused to move. Afterward, he was handcuffed and removed from the room by two officers, limping out of the courtroom. According to his lawyers, he left the courthouse at around 4:30 P.M. in an ambulance, where he went to Bellevue Hospital Center after complaining of chest pain and showing signs of high blood pressure.

Weinstein’s lawyer, Donna Rotunno, said in a news conference that she would appeal his conviction on March 11th, after he is sentenced. She also had planned to combat his immediate detention, stating that “It’s absolutely horrible for me to watch my client taken into custody”, adding that “Harvey is very strong. He took it like a man.” Her case in court was that Weinstein’s accusers had consensually had sex with him in order to further their careers and only years after they accused him of sexual assault. In the past, Ms. Rotunno said that she had never been sexually assaulted “because I would never put myself in that position.”