The verdict in Los Angeles was very important to Weinstein because, after the initial rejection of justice – a major victory for the #MeToo movement – the New York Supreme Court finally authorized him in August to file an appeal of his 2020 conviction.
Weinstein’s lawyers questioned the testimonies of four of the complainants and insisted on the lack of material evidence and legal medicine elements.
The defense focused on Jennifer Siebel-Newsom, actress and wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom, who revealed her identity during the process.
For the lawyers, she had a consensual relationship in exchange for favors in Hollywood, which she later regretted and turned into accusations, amid the wave of revelations against Weinstein in 2017.
In a press release, the actress ruled on the partial conviction of this Monday. “Harvey Weinstein will never rape another woman again,” she said.
“He will spend the rest of his life where he deserves, behind bars.”
However, Siebel-Newsom referred to “the tactics of sexism, misogyny and harassment” used by Weinstein’s lawyers to “ridicule us, the survivors.”
“This trial has been a powerful reminder of the work we still have to do as a society,” he concluded.
Some 90 women, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rosanna Arquette, have accused Weinstein of harassment, sexual assault or rape, but the statute of limitations has expired in many of the cases.