A Win for All Survivors: An Update on Harvey Weinstein

Jessica Mann in court

March 10, 2020 was a historic date for survivors of sexual assault. Harvey Weinstein may be “totally confused” by the #MeToo movement and the pain he’s caused so many, but Judge James Burke certainly isn’t, as he sentenced Weinstein to twenty-three years in jail for the rape of Jessica Mann and the felony assault on Miriam Haley. After Dawn Dunning, Tarale Wulff, Lauren Young, Miriam Haley, and Jessica Mann addressed the court with their impact statements, Weinstein rambled on for ten minutes, never apologizing to his accusers, and making himself out to be the victim. Despite the fact that ninety women have accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct, Weinstein continues to believe that he and these many survivors “may have different truths.” During his trial, Weinstein likened himself to Dalton Trumbo, a producer who was put in jail and blacklisted during the Red Scare of the 1950s after joining the Communist Party, stating that he thinks “that is what is happening now all over this country.”

After Judge Burke announced the sentence, Weinstein was handcuffed to his wheelchair and transported back to Rikers Island, the main jail of New York City, where he had been detained behind bars. However, immediately after Weinstein returned to jail, he complained of chest pains, so he was then taken to Bellevue Hospital Center, where he suffered a mild heart attack. His chief lawyer, Donna Rotunno, had predicted that Weinstein’s poor health would intervene, but despite her efforts to use this as an excuse to lessen his sentence, Judge Burke was not swayed.

These New York convictions should set a powerful precedent both for Weinstein’s upcoming sex crime case in California and for all other sexual assault cases in this country. We can not tolerate predators using their money and power to silence their victims.