Ashley Judd, #MeToo founders react to ruling overturning Harvey Weinstein’s conviction
NEW YORK — A New York appeals court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, saying the judge should not have allowed other women to testify about alleged assaults the movie mogul was not accused of. Below is a selection of responses to the decision:
___
“This is what it’s like to be a woman in America, living with male rights over our bodies.” — Ashley Judd, whose on-the-record statement accusing Weinstein of sexually harassing her as a young actor helped spark the case.
——
“Judges across this country are going to scale back what they allow in evidence because it’s a constitutional right to tell your side of the story without so much baggage from your entire life being shown to a jury. Harvey will be able to take a stand under this new ruling, tell his side of the story and be very consistent with what he’s been saying all along, which is, ‘Yes, there was a sexual encounter… But I never forced her to do anything.’ ” – Weinstein lawyer Arthur Aidala.
___
“Because the brave women in this case broke their silence, millions and millions and millions of others found the strength to come forward and do the same. That will always be the victory. This doesn’t change that. And the people who abuse their power and privilege to violate and harm others will always be the bad guy. This doesn’t change that.” — Tarana Burke, who founded the #MeToo movement in general.
___
“A jury in California was told that he had been convicted of rape in another state… It turned out that he should not have been convicted, and that was not a fair conviction. … It significantly disturbed his presumption of innocence in California.” — Weinstein attorney Jennifer Bonjean, who is appealing his rape conviction in Los Angeles.
___
“Today’s decision does not erase the truth about what happened. It does not change the reality that Weinstein is a serial sexual abuser who exploited his power for decades.” – Fatima Goss Graves, CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, which administers the Time’s Up Legal Fund and provides legal help and resources to people experiencing sexual harassment and violence.
___
“Today’s decision reinforces what we already know from our survey of more than 13,000 entertainment employees. We have seen a lack of progress in addressing the power imbalance that enables abuse, and sexual violence remains a widespread problem.” – Anita Hill, president and chairman of The Hollywood Commission.