Harvey Weinstein’s Accusers Will Be Allowed To Confront Him In Court
Harvey Weinstein was once the most powerful man in the entertainment industry. Now, he’ll be forced to face many of the women he allegedly assaulted over the years.
According to the New York Post, the Manhattan district attorney who will be prosecuting the Harvey Weinstein case is following the so-called “Bill Cosby playbook” and calling as many of his accusers as are willing to testify against him.
Formally, Weinstein has only been charged with assaulting two women, but according to the venerated news outlet, New York City prosecutors are “casting their net far and wide” to get as many victims as they can to come forward — which was the same tactic used by the Philadelphia prosecutor to, ultimately, get Bill Cosby convicted for his sexual assault crimes.
In total, more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual assault.
Needless to say, this proposed strategy — while not confirmed by the Manhattan prosecutor’s office — has been met with a lot of resistance from Weinstein’s attorney, Ben Brafman, who claimed that the Manhattan prosecutor is simply trying to “bolster” a nothing case.
Brafman has previously moved to have the criminal case against Harvey Weinstein dismissed for insufficient evidence.
What’s more, Brafman previously told the New York Post that one of Weinstein’s accusers is someone who also had a decade-long affair with the producer, and who only accused him when the affair soured and didn’t result in her becoming as famous as she wanted to be.
However, a spokesman for New York City law enforcement actually claims the opposite. The more women that come forward telling their tale of abuse at the former Miramax head honcho’s hands, the more they will inspire other victims to speak out.
Harvey Weinstein's accusers will face him on the stand — just like Cosby https://t.co/AV5TByLVRb pic.twitter.com/pRTvfiRSOA
— New York Post (@nypost) May 28, 2018
What’s more, New York City law enforcement said that, when it comes to the Weinstein case, prosecutors are deliberately moving “very slowly” to get all their proverbial ducks in a row. Unless they’re sure about all the details and feel confident that they can prove them beyond a reasonable doubt, they will not move forward.
Manhattan prosecutors are trying to avoid a repeat performance of their failure to prosecute former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn back in 2011, when he was accused of raping a hotel maid. District Attorney Cyrus Vance’s office is still trying to recover from the backlash of not prosecuting Weinstein back in 2015 when Italian model Ambra Battilana Gutierrez tried to press charges against him for raping her.
“He’s the most reviled sexual predator in memory. There are so many pressures on Weinstein to avoid a trial and take a plea.” https://t.co/Tnvp8cfoPy
— Variety (@Variety) May 28, 2018
Incidentally, Brafman represented Strauss-Kahn just as he’s representing Harvey Weinstein, and Joan Illuzzi is the same prosecutor on both cases as well.
