Harvey Weinstein gets mixed verdict from LA jury. (Photo by ETIENNE LAURENT/POOL/AFP via Getty ... [+]
Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault and acquitted of one count of sexual battery in a trial in Los Angeles. The jury was hung on the three other sexual assault counts, including a second count of rape. All three guilty counts were related to the accusations of one victim, referred to as Jane Doe 1.
More than five years into the #MeToo movement, some have viewed Weinstein's trials as a referendum on sexual misconduct and the treatment of predators. Some have even argued that either a Weinstein acquittal or a conviction would mean the end of #MeToo. At least one expert disagrees.
The jury returned the verdict today in Los Angeles on the tenth day of deliberations. The trial resulted from four women's allegations of sexual assault and rape that they say occurred from 2005 to 2013. The jury heard from 44 witnesses in more than four weeks of testimony. Midway through the trial, four of the original 11 charges against Weinstein from a fifth woman were dropped without explanation.
What does today’s verdict mean for the #MeToo movement? According to Ariel Weindling, founder and CEO of NotMe Solutions, a misconduct reporting platform, the verdict is not that significant.
Weindling says of the Weinstein trial, "This is not the trial of #MeToo. Weinstein was one of the catalysts of #MeToo, but he is not the movement." #MeToo was about breaking the silence. It was about empowering women to be brave, to be courageous and to speak up, and it was about having compassion for victims, Weindling says.
He believes these aspects of #MeToo are far more important than how twelve jurors felt about the legality of the specific allegations against Weinstein. In other words, the outcome in Weinstein's case isn’t a referendum on the current state of #MeToo.
The #MeToo movement emboldened women, and Weindling says it inspired him to build a platform where victims could report misconduct. "I was super-inspired by #MeToo," Weindling says. "I created a pragmatic platform to help people who were victims, or that did not want to be victims, to speak up and report. So for me, we are already way past #MeToo because #MeToo was just about breaking the silence." #NotMe is a reporting platform for those who have experienced or witnessed racism, harassment or any type of discrimination or misconduct. Weindling was inspired to launch the platform when #MeToo started.
Still, Weindling says there's much more work to be done. Too many victims remain silent. "When someone is clearly misbehaving, it only takes one very strong or courageous woman to speak up for others to follow. But I'm often surprised that in 2023, more women are not coming forward at the first inappropriate sign or interaction. I just hope that this changes, and I want everybody to feel empowered. Whether it's a woman or someone from a minority, you should feel empowered to speak up and report as soon as something doesn't feel right. We've made some progress, but it's very slow progress."
The Weinstein trial provided an example of the backlash victims can face when they come forward and may help explain why progress has been slow in this area. Weinstein's defense attorney Alan Jackson was particularly harsh towards filmmaker and first lady of California Jennifer Siebel Newsom. In opening statements, he referred to Newsom as "just another bimbo who slept with Weinstein to get ahead in Hollywood." Jurors were hung on the two counts resulting from Newsom's accusations.
In 2020, a New York jury found Weinstein guilty of a criminal sexual act and third-degree rape, and he was sentenced to 23 years in prison. Weinstein is currently appealing this New York conviction.
