Harvey Weinstein must be successful in his appeal or else life for him as he knew it is completely over. Most likely influenced by the #metoo era, Weinstein was sentenced to a stiff 23 years by Judge James Burk.
There was a hunch by many that Weinstein’s sentencing was going to be bad for him. With so much media attention and rumors of so many assaulted women, a hard sentence was a reasonable expectation.
On one hand, most people are rejoicing to see a rampant Hollywood predator who manipulated women for years brought to “justice”. However, there are some people who are concerned about the legal precedent being set with such a harsh sentence. Most of his accusers voluntarily, enthusiastically and cordially kept in contact with him before and after the dates of the alleged assaults. So the question arising is if these sensationalized trials by media are actually producing justice, and are these new #metoo era precedents dangerous to society.
The 2 main women who sent him to jail were Miriam Haley and Jessica Mann. Haley is a former production assistant for Weinstein who claimed he forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006. Mann, a former aspiring actor, claimed Weinstein raped her in 2013 during a year-long abusive relationship, in which she claimed she was powerless.
Weinstein will be held at Rikers Island until he is eventually transferred to the state’s corrections department, and then incarcerated in a state prison facility.
Weinstein rambled in his defense and compared himself to American Screenwriter Dalton Trumbo who was once attacked and blacklisted for being a Communist. He compared the #metoo environment to the Red Scare and muttered, “I’m worried about this country.” Surprisingly he is not alone in his thinking.
The power of #metoo is beyond formidable as the trial literally went from a probable hung jury to a 23 year conviction. And for Weinstein with failing health at 67 years old, this was pretty much a life sentence and a statement for the times.
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