Retrial that reopens a battle
The other night, I stomped on a massive cockroach, thought it was dead, and went to get a tissue to toss it out. As I leaned down, what I thought was a corpse began scampering at full speed. Something primal comes over me when it comes to cockroaches. I leapt, and killed it properly the second time, ensuring its body was ripped apart by the force of my bare foot. I do not fear cockroaches but I loathe them, having lived with someone who enforced squalor upon the household. They are rare creatures in my home. When sighted, they are never spared.
I thought of the cockroach that pretended to die — I am very sure of this; I ascribe that level of intelligence to that particular one — when I read that Harvey Weinstein is facing retrial. The serial sex predator, once one of the most powerful people in Hollywood, was sentenced to 23 years in prison in February 2020, and later given a 16-year sentence in a 2021 trial. He was born in 1952; these sentences should have meant that he would rot in jail for most of the remainder of, if not the entirety, of his natural life. But last year, the first conviction was overturned on a technicality. Now, retrial proceedings have begun for the second, with an additional charge. All charges pertain to sexual assault.
Weinstein, like that cockroach, may resurrect himself, and he has many on his side. He may be just one man, but he is as symbolic to misogynistic behaviour as the Gorgon/goddess Medusa is symbolic to survivors.
The world has changed since 2018, when Weinstein was the chief effigy in the MeToo movement, which deeply transformed everything from vocabularies to laws on significant global and more subtle levels. Several media outlets carry reports of the confidence of Weinstein's legal team. The far right, which has embraced him, has gained more ground everywhere, and most importantly in America. His exoneration would deal a further blow to women's rights. The protests and the charged public discourse that accompanied his earlier trials are no longer as active. Understandably so: the pandemic, failing economies and the internal erosion of defeat after defeat have altered the might of progressive frontlines.
Weinstein has had a series of medical issues following his incarceration: he has been treated for bone marrow cancer, and had emergency heart surgery last year. Depending on what you count as karma, the outcome of his legal cases may not matter. But to some, justice is indeed linked to the law. Much is demanded emotionally of those who must testify again, who are fighting not only a set of personal battles but also ones of cultural impact.
That Weinstein still has the resources and the will to drag these women back to court is infuriating. We thought that cockroach was done with, didn't we?
One cockroach to symbolise all cockroaches. How much harm it does to the heart, and to the mind, to not see justice either in one's own life or at least for another, or on some bigger stage — in any place, really, except perhaps in the catharsis of art.
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Mint
4 hours ago
- Mint
Weinstein jury still has 1 charge to go after partial verdict in sex crimes retrial
NEW YORK (AP) — After a partial verdict in a chaotic day at Harvey Weinstein 's sex crimes retrial, jurors are due Thursday to return to deliberations on a remaining charge — if the foreperson will join in. The jury delivered its partial verdict Wednesday, convicting the ex-studio boss of one of the top charges but acquitting him of another. Both charges concern accusations of forcing oral sex on women in 2006. The jury of seven women and five men unanimously reached those decisions last Friday, the foreperson later told the judge. The verdict was delivered Wednesday only because Judge Curtis Farber asked whether there was agreement on any of the charges. The group was stuck on the third charge: a rape accusation involving a woman who also said she had a consensual relationship with the Oscar-winning producer. Under New York law, the third-degree rape charge carries a lesser penalty than the other two counts. Weinstein denies all the charges. In an unusual exchange with the judge during some legal arguments before the partial verdict was disclosed Wednesday, he insisted it was unfair to continue the trial after two jurors came forward with concerns about the proceedings. 'I can't be judged by a situation that's going on like this,' said Weinstein, 73, saying the judge was 'endangering' him. Jury-room strains started leaking into public view Friday, when a juror asked to be excused because he felt another was being treated unfairly. Then Monday, the foreperson complained that other jurors were pushing people to change their minds and talking about information beyond the charges. The man raised concerns again Wednesday. In a closed-door discussion with prosecutors, defense lawyers and the judge, the foreperson said another juror was yelling at him for sticking to his opinion and at one point vowed, 'You going to see me outside.' 'I feel afraid inside there,' the foreperson told the judge and attorneys, according to a transcript. The judge sent the jury home for the day after the partial verdict, but the foreperson later asked to come back and recapped his concerns to Farber in court. The foreperson said he was willing to return Thursday, with Farber saying the man wouldn't be forced to go into the jury room if he didn't want to. It's unclear how deliberations could proceed if that happens, and it's equally uncertain what the court would then do. Weinstein's initial conviction five years ago seemed to cement the downfall of one of Hollywood's most powerful men in a pivotal moment for the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct. But that conviction was overturned last year, and the case was sent back for retrial in the same Manhattan courthouse. Weinstein's accusers said he exploited his Tinseltown influence to dangle career help, get them alone and then trap and force them into sexual encounters. His defense portrayed his accusers as Hollywood wannabes and hangers-on who willingly hooked up with him to court opportunity, then later said they were victimized to collect settlement funds and #MeToo approbation. Miriam Haley, the producer and production assistant whom Weinstein was convicted — twice, now — of sexually assaulting, said outside court Wednesday that the new verdict 'gives me hope.' Accuser Kaja Sokola also called it 'a big win for everyone,' even though Weinstein was acquitted of forcibly performing oral sex on her when she was a 19-year-old fashion model. Her allegation was added to the case after the retrial was ordered. The third accuser, Jessica Mann, was still waiting for an outcome. The hairstylist and actor testified for days — as she did in 2020 — about the rape she said she endured in a Manhattan hotel room and about why she continued to see and have consensual encounters with Weinstein afterward. 'Rape can happen in relationships — and in dynamics where power and manipulation control the narrative," Mann said in a statement Wednesday. Weinstein also was convicted of raping another woman in California. He's appealing that conviction.
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Weinstein jury still has 1 charge to go after partial verdict in sex crimes retrial
Weinstein jury still has 1 charge to go after partial verdict in sex crimes retrial (Image: AP) After a partial verdict in a chaotic day at Harvey Weinstein 's sex crimes retrial, jurors are due Thursday to return to deliberations on a remaining charge - if the foreperson will join in. The jury delivered its partial verdict Wednesday, convicting the ex-studio boss of one of the top charges but acquitting him of another. Both charges concern accusations of forcing oral sex on women in 2006. The jury of seven women and five men unanimously reached those decisions last Friday, the foreperson later told the judge. The verdict was delivered Wednesday only because Judge Curtis Farber asked whether there was agreement on any of the charges. The group was stuck on the third charge: a rape accusation involving a woman who also said she had a consensual relationship with the Oscar-winning producer. Under New York law, the third-degree rape charge carries a lesser penalty than the other two counts. Weinstein denies all the charges. In an unusual exchange with the judge during some legal arguments before the partial verdict was disclosed Wednesday, he insisted it was unfair to continue the trial after two jurors came forward with concerns about the proceedings. "I can't be judged by a situation that's going on like this," said Weinstein, 73, saying the judge was "endangering" him. Jury-room strains started leaking into public view Friday, when a juror asked to be excused because he felt another was being treated unfairly. Then Monday, the foreperson complained that other jurors were pushing people to change their minds and talking about information beyond the charges. The man raised concerns again Wednesday. In a closed-door discussion with prosecutors, defense lawyers and the judge, the foreperson said another juror was yelling at him for sticking to his opinion and at one point vowed, "You going to see me outside." "I feel afraid inside there," the foreperson told the judge and attorneys, according to a transcript. The judge sent the jury home for the day after the partial verdict, but the foreperson later asked to come back and recapped his concerns to Farber in court. The foreperson said he was willing to return Thursday, with Farber saying the man wouldn't be forced to go into the jury room if he didn't want to. It's unclear how deliberations could proceed if that happens, and it's equally uncertain what the court would then do. Weinstein's initial conviction five years ago seemed to cement the downfall of one of Hollywood's most powerful men in a pivotal moment for the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct. But that conviction was overturned last year, and the case was sent back for retrial in the same Manhattan courthouse. Weinstein's accusers said he exploited his Tinseltown influence to dangle career help, get them alone and then trap and force them into sexual encounters. His defence portrayed his accusers as Hollywood wannabes and hangers-on who willingly hooked up with him to court opportunity, then later said they were victimized to collect settlement funds and #MeToo approbation. Miriam Haley, the producer and production assistant whom Weinstein was convicted - twice, now - of sexually assaulting, said outside court Wednesday that the new verdict "gives me hope." Accuser Kaja Sokola also called it "a big win for everyone," even though Weinstein was acquitted of forcibly performing oral sex on her when she was a 19-year-old fashion model. Her allegation was added to the case after the retrial was ordered. The third accuser, Jessica Mann, was still waiting for an outcome. The hairstylist and actor testified for days - as she did in 2020 - about the rape she said she endured in a Manhattan hotel room and about why she continued to see and have consensual encounters with Weinstein afterward. "Rape can happen in relationships - and in dynamics where power and manipulation control the narrative," Mann said in a statement Wednesday. Weinstein also was convicted of raping another woman in California. He's appealing that conviction. The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted, unless they agree to be identified. Haley, Mann and Sokola did so.
India.com
6 hours ago
- India.com
Jury Convicts Harvey Weinstein Of Top Charge In Retrial Of His Sexual Assault Case
Los Angeles: A Manhattan jury found Harvey Weinstein guilty of one count of criminal sexual assault against former Project Runway assistant Miriam Haley. However, the jury acquitted him of a second charge of sexually assaulting Kaja Sokola. The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict as to a third count involving Jessica Mann, and was told they will resume deliberations on Thursday morning, as per Variety. The partial verdict comes after a weeks-long trial that began in April, during which three women testified about the alleged sexual assaults committed by the former Hollywood producer. Weinstein faced two counts of committing a criminal sexual act in the first degree and one count of third-degree rape. Weinstein recently himself addressed the court, urging the judge to call for a mistrial as several jurors continued to complain about tensions in the deliberation room. "This is my life that's on the line," Weinstein told Judge Curtis Farber in the courtroom, adding, "I am not getting a fair trial." Weinstein then told the judge, "You are endangering me, Your Honor." Prior to that, the jury foreperson in Weinstein's retrial informed the judge that tensions remain amid deliberations; the foreperson then requested to speak privately with the judge and the attorneys about the situation. In his 2020 trial, Weinstein was found guilty of sexually abusing Haley and Mann. He was serving a 23-year sentence in New York until those convictions were overturned in April 2024. Weinstein pleaded not guilty to all charges in his retrial; both Haley and Mann testified against him again, according to Variety. In their testimonies, Haley alleged that Weinstein forcibly sexually assaulted her at his apartment in 2006, while Mann accused him of raping her at a hotel in 2013. Sokola, who did not testify in Weinstein's 2020 trial, was first identified by the prosecution during opening arguments in late April. (She was previously referred to as Complaining Witness No. 3.) In her testimony, Sokola described two alleged sexual assaults by Weinstein: one in 2002, when she was 16, and another in a Manhattan hotel in 2006 -- the latter being the incident for which Weinstein was charged in the retrial.
