Ashley Judd and more stars speak out against Harvey Weinstein rape conviction: ‘Unfair to survivors’
Ashley Judd and several other Hollywood stars, some of whom have come forward about being s****lly a*saulted by Harvey Weinstein, have criticized the courts for overturning his rape conviction.
“This is unfair to the survivors,” Judd, the first celebrity accuser to speak out against the disgraced film producer, told The New York Times in an article published Thursday.
“We are still living in our truth. We know what happened,” she added.
Additionally, Filipino-Italian model Ambra Battilana Gutierrez — who accused Weinstein of grabbing her breasts and putting his hands up her skirt during a 2015 business meeting at his Manhattan office — has not backed down from subpoenaing the courts.
“If the prosecutor had taken my case seriously in 2015, we wouldn’t be here,” Gutierrez told the newspaper. “This is a continuing failure of the justice system – and the courts – to take survivors seriously and protect our interests.”
Katherine Kendall – who accused Weinstein of stalking her naked into his New York apartment during what she thought was a business meeting – called the ruling a “terrible reminder that victims of s****l a*sault do not get justice.”
She added that women who confront “strong men rarely get justice.”
“But the important thing is that we don’t stop speaking out,” she said. “Our culture needs to continue to support silence breakers.”
“Law & Order: SVU” actress Mariska Hargitay criticized the decision, writing on Instagram: “The overturning of Harvey Weinstein’s conviction is a painful and infuriating insult to survivors and advocates everywhere.”
Hargitay, a rape survivor, added: “To every survivor in this case and every survivor who must bear witness to this marriage broken for justice, my heart is with you today, tomorrow and forever.”
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Actress Amber Tamblyn – an outspoken advocate for the #MeToo movement – became furious when she heard of the court’s decision, calling it “a loss for the entire community of women who have put their lives and careers on the line to speak out.”
Weinstein’s s*x crimes conviction was overturned in a shock decision on Thursday after a New York appeals court ruled that witness testimony should not be allowed during the trial.
The courts claimed that witnesses to “prior bad acts” “were not necessary to prove the defendant’s intent and served only to establish the defendant’s propensity to commit the crimes charged.”
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is reportedly planning a retrial.
“We will do everything in our power to retry this case, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to s****l a*sault survivors,” spokeswoman Emily Tuttle told PKBNEWS.
Meanwhile, the late movie mogul’s defense attorney, Donna Rotunno, believes the decision is “bigger than Harvey Weinstein’s.”
“Courts cannot operate on emotion and the absence of due process,” Rotunno said. “The world is out of balance, and when the justice system doesn’t work, nothing works. “This decision restores confidence in the foundation of our system.”
In February 2020, Weinstein was convicted of one count of rape and one count of criminal s****l act.
At the time, Weinstein was found guilty of first-degree criminal s****l act for forcibly performing oral s*x on former “Project Runway” production a*sistant Miriam “Mimi” Haley, and third-degree rape for the attack on hairstylist Jessica Mann.
He was sentenced to 23 years in prison for Mann’s rape and Haley’s s****l a*sault.
The trial saw 28 witnesses take the stand to give emotional testimony, although at least 80 women came forward with accusations of misconduct against Weinstein.
Three years later, he was sentenced to another 16 years in prison after being tried in Los Angeles on charges of forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and s****l penetration by a foreign object of Jane Doe 1, an Italian model, at the city’s Mr. C Hotel in February 2013.
Outrage over Weinstein’s alleged actions inspired the #MeToo movement that has swept Hollywood.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-330-0226.