Harvey accusers Judd and Mira Sorvino as well as rape survivor Hargitay speak out against New York's top court's shocking decision to overturn the former producer's 2020 rape conviction.
- Apr 26, 2024
AceShowbiz - Harvey Weinstein's overturned rape conviction has left many stars appalled. Ashley Judd, who was the first celebrity accuser to speak out against the disgraced movie producer, told The New York Times in an article published on Thursday, April 25, "That is unfair to survivors. We still live in our truth. And we know what happened."
Mariska Hargitay, who is a rape survivor, slammed the decision in a statement posted on Instagram. "The reversal of Harvey Weinstein's conviction comes as a painful and infuriating affront to survivors and advocates everywhere," she wrote. "To every survivor involved in this case and every survivor who has to bear witness to this incorrigible marriage of justice, my heart is with you today, tomorrow, and forever."
Mira Sorvino, who also accused Weinstein of sexual harrassment, posted on her own social media page, "Horrified!Day after #DenimDay honoring sexual violence survivors,Harvey Weinstein's conviction overturned,due partly to molyneux witnesses testifying to prior bad acts,like lioness Annabella Sciorra.Since when don't courts allow evidence of pattern of prior bad acts to be admitted?He's a prolific serial predator who raped/harmed 200+women!Disgusted w/justice system skew twds predators not victims."
The actress added in the caption, "Gutsick. To all of my sister/brother/fellow survivors out there, it just means we have to love harder, and fight harder. Evil rears its ugly head but we are the army of light and will prevail."
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 in his Manhattan office, claimed, "If the D.A. had taken my case seriously in 2015, we wouldn't be here." She added, "This is an ongoing failure of the justice system - and the courts - to take survivors seriously and to protect our interests."
Katherine Kendall, who accused Weinstein of chasing her while naked in his New York apartment during what she believed to be a work meeting, called the ruling a "terrible reminder that victims of sexual assault just don't get justice." She went on claiming that women who go up against "powerful men rarely get justice," before reminding, "But the important thing is that we do not stop speaking out. Our culture needs to keep supporting silence breakers."
Amber Tamblyn, an outspoken advocate of the #MeToo movement, was enraged by the court's decision, calling it "a loss to the entire community of women who put their lives and careers on the line to speak out."
The New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction on Thursday, claiming that he did not receive a fair trial. The state's top court ruled following a 4-3 vote that testimony from "prior bad acts" witnesses should not have been allowed because it "was unnecessary to establish defendant's intent and served only to establish defendant’s propensity to commit the crimes charged," according to CNN.
Manhattan District Attorney's Office spokesperson Emily Tuttle said, "We will do everything in our power to retry this case and remain steadfast in our commitment to survivors of sexual assault."
Weinstein's victims, known as the Silence Breakers, said in a statement to Variety, "The news today is not only disheartening, but it's profoundly unjust. But this ruling does not diminish the validity of our experiences or our truth; it's merely a setback."
"The man found guilty continues to serve time in a California prison. When survivors everywhere broke their silence in 2017, the world changed," they stated. "We continue to stand strong and advocate for that change. We will continue to fight for justice for survivors everywhere."
Weinstein's lead defense attorney Donna Rotunno responded to the decision, "I believe this decision is larger than Harvey Weinstein. Courts cannot operate on emotion and lack of due process." He continued, "The world is off-balance, and when the justice system does not work, nothing does. This decision restores faith in the foundation of our system."
Despite the overturned rape conviction, Weinstein will remain in prison because he was convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape.
