Harvey Weinstein accusers react to rape conviction overturning: 'Absolutely devastated'
Women who accused Harvey Weinstein of abuse and their advocates were stunned Thursday by the announcement that the embattled movie mogul's 2020 rape conviction had been overturned.
The decision was made by the New York Court of Appeals, which found that the trial judge improperly allowed women to testify against the ex-Hollywood power-producer that weren't part of the case.
The 2017 allegations against Weinstein, published in a bombshell report in the New York Times, marked a watershed moment in the #MeToo movement. The accusations and ensuing trial spawned a mass reckoning across the entertainment industry around abuses of power and sexual assault.
Women weighed in on the ruling Thursday, calling it disappointing and "unjust." Here are some of their reactions:
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape convictionoverturned by New York appeals court
Ashley Judd
Ashley Judd went on record in The New York Times in 2017, accusing Weinstein of harassing her in the late 1990s. She received the news of Thursday's court decision from journalist Jodi Kantor, who helped break the Weinstein story.
"Yet again, male sexual violence had intruded upon and disturbed a beautiful day, as it does every day in the lives of American women," Judd wrote in a statement shared with USA TODAY. "We live on a daily basis with male entitlement to our female bodies. The most dangerous place in the U.S. for us is in our homes. The men who most commonly assault, rape, and kills us are men who know.
"Each of us who survived Harvey Weinstein's serial sexual predation knew him," she continued. "He exploited, gleefully, the asymmetry of power in our relationship to him. He defamed me after I barely evaded his sexual assault in that hotel room in 1996. I did not evade his grotesque sexual harassment, wrath, and punishment. My art and my pocketbook are still different to this day because of him. The misguided opinion of four judges today does not change what we survivors know, and we acknowledge the fierceness of the minority opinion. The truth is consistent."
She continued by advocating for the Center for Institutional Courage, a nonprofit research organization, as well as for the ratification of C190, which aims to help eliminate harassment and violence in the workplace. By speaking out, "we let other folks know we see them, we hear them, we believe them, we love them," Judd said. "We have community."
Gloria Allred
Gloria Allred, who represented key prosecution witness Mimi Haley, said in a statement to USA TODAY that Thursday's decision means "it will be more difficult to convict those who victimize women and prey on them." But she added that "although victims have lost this battle, they have not lost the war."
"Even though the process of testifying was grueling and retraumatizing for Mimi, she reaffirmed to me today that she would consider testifying again if District Attorney Alvin Bragg decided to proceed with a new trial of Harvey Weinstein," Allred said. "I commend Mimi on her courage and willingness to keep standing up for the truth.
Jessica Barth
Jessica Barth, who accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct after meeting at a 2011 Golden Globes party, called the decision "a tragic step backwards" in a statement obtained by USA TODAY. The "Ted" actress is one of the survivors who came forward in Ronan Farrow's 2017 New Yorker exposé on Weinstein's long history of abuse.
"It sets a dangerous precedent concerning sexual assault cases," said Barth, founder and president of Voices in Action, a nonprofit supporting sexual assault survivors. "Evidence of prior bad acts in order to prove a pattern of behavior is often allowed in criminal cases and should absolutely be allowed in sexual assault cases.
"The emotional and physical toll a trial takes on victims testifying in front of their rapist is unfathomable to anyone who has never had to endure that experience especially when the justice system is stacked against victims," she continued. "My thoughts are with all of the survivors who took the stand and face the possibility of having to do it again. Voices in Action will continue to support and fight for justice for victims of these horrific crimes everywhere.”
Caitlin Dulany
Caitlin Dulany, an actress who accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting her in a hotel room during the 1996 Cannes Film Festival in France, remains hopeful that "survivors will win in the end."
"I am deeply saddened and absolutely devastated by today’s ruling," Dulany said in a statement to USA TODAY. "So many of us lived with our stories for years. What Harvey Weinstein did to us affected our lives and careers in ways that we will never recover from. It is a travesty of justice, but I’m not surprised. The justice system is in deep need of reform. What happened this morning is a terrible setback for survivors everywhere who are brave enough to come forward with the stories of abuse.
"I am forever grateful to the women who testified at Harvey Weinstein’s New York trial, at great personal cost. The fight goes on."
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Katherine Kendall
Following Thursday's decision, Katherine Kendall said she continues "to stand proudly with the #MeToo movement, regardless of this or any other court ruling." The "Swingers" actress accused Weinstein of exposing himself and chasing her in 1993, during what was she was led to believe was a business meeting.
"As we all know, victims of sexual assault who go up against powerful men rarely receive justice through our justice system," Kendall said in a statement to USA TODAY. "This needs to change; victims need to continue breaking the silence, and our culture needs to continue believing and supporting them.
"No matter where Harvey Weinstein goes, his name will be synonymous with sexual predators everywhere," she continued. "He will live in a prison of his own making until the day he dies."
Tarale Wulff and Dawn Dunning
Douglas H. Wigdor, a lawyer representing eight Weinstein accusers, called the decision "a major step back in holding those accountable for acts of sexual violence." Two of those were witnesses at Weinstein's New York trial: model Tarale Wulff and aspiring actress Dawn Dunning, both of whom testified during the 2020 criminal trial.
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"Courts routinely admit evidence of other uncharged acts where they assist juries in understanding issues concerning the intent, modus operandi or scheme of the defendant," Wigdor said in a statement shared with USA TODAY. "The jury was instructed on the relevance of this testimony and overturning the verdict is tragic in that it will require the victims to endure yet another trial.”
In a separate statement to USA TODAY, Dunning said she was "stunned" by the court's ruling, but is "still proud" that she testified.
"Preparing for the trial took two years of my life. I had to relive the trauma of the assault every day," Dunning said. "But since today’s ruling, people have asked me if I regret having testified. Was this all for naught? And my answer is a resounding 'no.' I came forward to support other women who were also sexually abused by Weinstein and to ensure that he would be held accountable. I had nothing to gain, and much to lose in terms of loss of privacy and the trauma that comes with confronting one’s abuser in court.
"I am a stronger person for having done so, and I know that other women found strength and courage because I and other Weinstein survivors confronted him publicly," she continued. "The culture has changed, and I am confident that there is no going back. I urge the District Attorney to retry this case.”
Evgeniya Chernyshova
Chernyshova, who was Jane Doe No. 1 in Weinstein's Los Angeles trial, did not have a comment Thursday morning. Her attorney, David Ring, weighed in on the decision.
"Evgeniya Chernyshova is obviously disappointed that the criminal convictions against Weinstein were overturned in the New York case," Ring said in a statement to USA TODAY. "She feels badly for those victims who endured that trial and the subsequent appeals, only to see the convictions reversed. However, both she and I are confident that Weinstein's Los Angeles conviction for rape will be upheld.
"As the only victim who has now obtained a criminal conviction against Weinstein, she will continue to stand tall and do whatever necessary to obtain justice not only for herself but for all victims."
Weinstein will continue serving a 16-year prison sentence stemming from the 2022 California conviction for rape.
LA trial:Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape more than 2 years after previous convictions
The Silence Breakers
More than 10 unnamed Weinstein survivors, known as the Silence Breakers, expressed their collective shock hours after the announcement.
"The news today is not only disheartening, but it’s profoundly unjust," the group said in a statement shared with USA TODAY by Sarah Mucha, director at SKDK, a consulting firm that works with advocacy organizations.
"But this ruling does not diminish the validity of our experiences or our truth; it's merely a setback," they continued. "The man found guilty continues to serve time. … When survivors everywhere broke their silence in 2017, the world changed. We continue to stand strong and advocate for that change. We will continue to fight for justice for survivors everywhere.”
Anita Hill and the Hollywood Commission
Anita Hill is chair and president of the Hollywood Commission, which works to stop discrimination and harassment in entertainment. In a statement, she decried "a lack of progress" in addressing power imbalances that allow abuse to occur.
"Sexual assault continues to be a pervasive problem," Hill said. "Many survivors do not pursue justice because they believe nothing will be done. Today’s decision underscores the urgent need for systemic changes in our institutions – and redoubles our commitment to survivors to push for the policies and systems that will ensure accountability and bring about workplaces free from the behavior that drives the need for these systems in the first place."
Contributing: Taijuan Moorman, Anika Reed, Naledi Ushe, Brian Truitt