Hollywood stars, including multiple actresses who have accused Harvey Weinstein of assault, reacted with shock and outrage after the former movie producer’s New York sex crimes conviction was overturned.
Harvey Weinstein’s accusers and opponents of sexual violence in Hollywood and beyond spoke out against the reversal of the disgraced movie mogul’s rape conviction in New York.
Ashley Judd, Mira Sorvino and others who have accused the former Hollywood producer of sexual misconduct condemned a New York court of appeals’ decision on Thursday to overturn the verdict.
Weinstein has been serving a 23-year sentence since he was convicted in 2020 of rape and a felony sex crime after allegedly assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haley and once-aspiring actor Jessica Mann.
“This today is an act of institutional betrayal. And our institutions betray survivors of male sexual violence,” Judd said during a news conference at the Millennium Hilton hotel in New York. “I stand shoulder to shoulder with women who have bloody knees because male sexual violence may knock us down, but we get right back up. And together we are in the struggle for freedom from male entitlement to our bodies.”
“This is unfair to survivors,” Judd added on her Instagram story. “We live in our truth. We know what happened.”
Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement, remarked during the news conference that “moments like this underscore why movements are necessary and … why we keep going.”
“We are devastated for the survivors who are connected to this case and the survivors who have found some solace and catharsis in the original verdict,” Burke said. “We will always stand with resolve and resilience. … This is not a blow to the movement. It is a clarion call, and we are prepared to answer that call.”
The New York appeals court found, in a 4-3 decision, that the judge who presided over Weinstein’s trial prejudiced the case by allowing four women who said Weinstein had assaulted them to serve as witnesses, even though their allegations were not part of the case.
The trial judge also made a mistake, the court determined, in permitting prosecutors to question Weinstein about uncharged and decades-old allegations if he decided to testify.
Weinstein was also convicted of rape in California, and the New York ruling will have no practical effect on his imprisonment.
