By: Veronica Kordmany
In the landmark trial of former Hollywood icon, Harvey Weinstein, an anonymous juror who played a role in convicting the disgraced movie mogul revealed that the rape and sexual assault charges, did not consider factor into the trial’s implications for the #MeTooMovement.
Harvey Weinstein was initially accused of sexual harassment and rape in 2017 by more than 20 women, all of which claim they were harassed sometime in the past 30 years. The collective action of coming out with their survivor-stories ignited the #MeTooMovement in Hollywood – actress Alyssa Milano took to Twitter, saying “If you’ve ever been sexually harassed or assaulted, write ‘Me too’ as a reply to this tweet.” In the following weeks, #MeToo would be used by millions of women.” Since then, Weinstein has been in and out of courtrooms, reaching settlements, dismissals, and, now, convictions, all of which tie back to his alleged inappropriate behavior with his female coworkers.
Weinstein, 67, was found guilty Monday of raping an aspiring actress in a New York City hotel room in 2013 and sexually assaulting production assistant Mimi Haleyi at his apartment in 2006. He faces the possibility of anywhere between five and 25 years in prison when he is sentenced in March 2020.
The anonymous juror, who was identified in the CBS interview by his first name, Malbin, alone, said the jury took excruciating pains to make a decision based on the concrete law and evidence. They finally decided that the actress’ testimony, about the 2013 assault, warranted a guilty verdict on the charge of third-degree rape; a smaller charge than the first-degree conviction sought by prosecutors.
“It wasn’t rape in the first degree,” Malbin said. “There was no physical compulsion with the threat of bodily harm or death. But there was no consent given, despite a lack of physical resistance, and a reasonable person should have known that there was no consent given in that instance.” When asked by a CBS reporter whether Weinstein should be in jail, Malbin said, “That’s not for me to say.”
The former Hollywood mogul, who has an injured back and other health problems, has been in Bellevue Hospital’s wing for prisoners while awaiting transfer to New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex. “You know, I could say that a man of his age and of his current health, the general population at Rikers sounds like a pretty dangerous place,” Malbin said.
Weinstein has maintained his defense that any sexual contact was consensual. His lawyers have promised to appeal the conviction.
