Harvey Weinstein Was Found Guilty Of Rape & Twitter Is Claiming Victory For The #MeToo Movement
Over two years after The New York Times published an exposé of Harvey Weinstein, which alleged he was responsible for decades of sexual harassment and assault, a jury found the former Hollywood mogul guilty on Monday, Feb. 24. According to The New York Times, the court convicted Weinstein on the charges of felony sex crime and rape in the third degree, and these tweets about Harvey Weinstein's guilty verdicts are hailing the news as a victory for the #MeToo movement. Elite Daily reached out to Weinstein's rep for comment on the jury's verdicts, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
People who've been following along with the case might remember decades of alleged harassment by Weinstein were brought to light back in 2017. Actresses including Rose McGowan, Ashley Judd, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Angelina Jolie were among the many women who came forward with their own stories of alleged abuse at the hands of the former film producer and helped ignite the industry-wide #MeToo movement. Weinstein has maintained all of his sexual encounters were consensual.
It was his lesser-known accusers who helped secure the convictions when the Manhattan district attorney's case against Weinstein came to a close with the guilty verdicts on Monday. Following the trial, which included testimonies of six women — Annabella Sciorra, Miriam Haley, Jessica Mann, Dawn Dunning, Tarale Wulff, and Lauren Young — Weinstein was convicted on two charges: criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree. However, he was not found guilty of the more serious charges of predatory sexual assault. According to CNN, Weinstein's lead attorney, Donna Rotunno, said they would be appealing the verdict.
Weinstein was sent to prison to await his sentencing on March 11. His charge of rape in the third degree typically comes with a sentencing of probation up to four years while guidelines for a criminal sexual act in the first degree usually come with a jail sentence of five to 25 years, according to ABC.
Considering the allegations of sexual wrongdoing against the disgraced Miramax co-founder were silenced for so many years, Twitter users took to the social media platform to celebrate the verdicts and all the women who bravely told their stories to bring Weinstein to justice.
Jodi Kantor, who helped break the story in the October 2017 NYT article, said Weinstein was finally held accountable, thanks to the guilty verdicts.
Ronan Farrow, whose book Catch and Kill details his reporting on Weinstein allegations, praised the women who told their stories and the journalists who helped the accusers share them.
Others simply praised the women for being strong enough to share their stories, and many noted how the guilty convictions feel like a shift in the right direction for the #MeToo movement.
Tina Tchen, president and CEO of the TIME’S UP Foundation, released a statement following the announcement of the convictions, and she called it the beginning of a "new era of justice." Tchen continued, "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."
Next, Weinstein will head to a courtroom in Los Angeles to face four more counts of rape and sexual battery charges, according to USA Today. Weinstein has denied allegations of assault and claims all of his sexual encounters were consensual. The date of the Los Angeles trial will be announced after Weinstein's sentencing on March 11.
