"Wake-up call" for MeToo

After overturning the verdict: Will Weinstein go free?

The overturning of Harvey Weinstein's conviction causes great horror among stars and the MeToo movement.

(Bild: AFP/Johannes Eisele)

The MeToo movement greeted the harsh sentence for Harvey Weinstein for sex crimes in March 2020 with jubilation and relief. The former film mogul was sentenced to 23 years in prison by a New York judge for rape and sexual assault. "I think I'm going crazy", commented the founder of the movement, Tarana Burke (50), on the severe sentence at the time. 

The activist also spoke out on Thursday after an appeals court in New York surprisingly overturned the historic conviction of the former film mogul. She was deeply shocked for the women affected, Burke said at a press conference. But this was not a blow to the movement, but a "wake-up call" to action, she added combatively.

"Unfair to the victims"
Actress Ashley Judd (56), who, together with other women, first publicly described the abuse by Weinstein in an investigative article in the New York Times in 2017, also called for the fight against sexual violence to continue.

Regarding the appeals court's decision, she said that it was "unfair to the victims". "We are still living in our truth. And we know what happened." The allegations of abuse against Weinstein made by dozens of women sparked the global MeToo movement in 2017.

Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino went public with allegations against Harvey Weinstein

(Bild: 2018 Invision)

Oscar winner Mira Sorvino (56) was one of the first women to accuse the film producer of sexual harassment. She was "horrified!", she wrote on X on Thursday. "Since when do courts not allow evidence of patterns of behavior that prove past bad acts?"

Judgment set aside due to procedural error
The decision of the seven judges in New York was a very close 4:3. The reason for the reversal of the historic verdict is therefore a procedural error: the prosecution also relied on witness statements during the trial that were not part of the indictment.

"We conclude that the trial court erred in admitting testimony about uncharged, alleged prior sexual conduct against persons other than the plaintiffs in the underlying offenses," wrote the presiding judge of the trial chamber, attesting to serious procedural errors by then-Judge James Burke.

Weinstein "very grateful"
Weinstein and his legal team celebrated the spectacular verdict. According to his lawyer Arthur Aidala, Weinstein is "very grateful", reported the "New York Times". The 72-year-old is serving time in a prison in upstate New York. According to Aidala, his client is now to be moved closer to the metropolis. He could come back to court and present his side of the story: "He is eager to tell his story from day one." Aidala emphasized that his team had "known from the beginning that Weinstein did not get a fair trial".

Harvey Weinstein is said to be "very grateful".

(Bild: AFP)

Weinstein will not be released for the time being. In a second criminal trial in Los Angeles, which also involved sex crimes, he was sentenced to a further 16 years in prison in 2023. However, the verdict in New York gives his legal team the impetus to also appeal on the US West Coast. Lawyer Jennifer Bonjean could file a corresponding application with an appeals court in California as early as mid-May, reported Variety.

"Saddened" by the verdict
The public prosecutor's office in Los Angeles was "saddened" by the ruling of the New York appellate judges. In a statement, however, the office also expressed confidence that Weinstein's conviction would be upheld in California. Weinstein would then bear the "serious consequences of his deplorable behavior".

At the trial in Los Angeles in December 2022, a jury found Weinstein guilty of three counts of sexual offenses, including rape. He was acquitted on one count and there was no agreement on three other counts.

The allegations were made by four women between 2004 and 2013, including Jennifer Siebel, the current wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom. Most of the assaults are said to have taken place in hotels in Beverly Hills. "Justice," Siebel wrote on Twitter after the sentencing. "And more work ahead."

According to the New York Times, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg must now decide whether to file a new case against Weinstein. A spokeswoman for the district attorney's office told "The Daily Beast" magazine that they would "do everything in our power to retry this case".

Ormond also sues Weinstein
In addition to criminal proceedings, Weinstein is also facing civil lawsuits. Last October, British actress Julia Ormond (59, "Sabrina") filed a lawsuit in New York for alleged sexual offenses. In it, she claims that Weinstein harassed her at a business meeting in 1995 and forced her to perform oral sex, among other things.

Julia Ormond filed a lawsuit against Weinstein last October.

(Bild: APA/Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Sundance Film Festival/AFP )

The lawsuit is also directed against the Walt Disney Company, Miramax and the talent agency Creative Artists Agency (CAA). The film studios and their agents at CAA knew about Weinstein's repeated assaults on women at the time, Ormond claims. But they failed to warn them and protect them from him.

According to "Variety", Ormond said in a telephone interview that she is now coming forward with her story because she believes that "systemic change" is still needed. To that end, she said, those who enable misconduct must also be held accountable. In her lawsuit, the actress is seeking damages in an undisclosed amount.

Allegations from more than 80 women 
Those affected around the world also saw their own experiences reflected in those of the alleged Weinstein victims. Under the catchphrase "Me too", they were heard publicly - with consequences for other influential people who were denounced, fired or accused. Since 2017, more than 80 women have publicly accused Weinstein of sexual assault.

The producer's deep fall has also been rolled up in the movies. In fall 2022, the film drama "She Said" by Maria Schrader ("Unorthodox") will celebrate its world premiere. The German director tells the story of "New York Times" reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, who put their Weinstein revelations on paper in 2017 after difficult research. The film shows how the reporters meet intimidated victims, visit Weinstein employees, clash with lawyers, are shadowed and discuss with superiors whether the story can be published.