Status: 10/10/2022 10:15 a.m
Former film producer Weinstein is now on trial in Los Angeles after being sentenced to 23 years in prison in New York. The 70-year-old is charged with rape, among other things. His case sparked the #MeToo debate in 2017.
He’s back on trial: former film producer Harvey Weinstein. It is the second major lawsuit against him, this time in Los Angeles, where he has worked for decades. The allegations come from five women, there are a total of eleven charges, including sexual abuse to rape.
The trial comes five years after investigations by The New York Times and The New Yorker revealed abuse of power, systematic cover-ups and even blackmail. A system Weinstein that allowed the film mogul to sexually exploit women.
Thousands reported sexual abuse online
In addition to the plaintiffs, dozens of women subsequently spoke up and reported similar incidents, including prominent actresses such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Selma Hayek, Lupita Nyong’o and Uma Thurman. And it wasn’t just Weinstein who suddenly became the focus of public attention and law enforcement – thousands of people reported sexual abuse online under the hashtag #MeToo.
But where is “MeToo” five years later? The results are difficult to measure, writes the newspaper “New York Times”. Looking at the court cases, a mixed picture emerges.
Sentenced in New York to 23 years imprisonment
Weinstein, who sparked the movement, was sentenced to 23 years in New York in 2020, a landmark sentence for victims of sex abuse in the United States, District Attorney Cyrus Vance said at the time.
It was the first prominent judgment of the “MeToo” movement. Other high-profile trials of the “#MeToo era” include the trials of actor Bill Cosby and singer R. Kelly. R. Kelly has already been sentenced to 30 years in prison for molesting a minor. However, the sentence against Bill Cosby was overturned after three years because of a formal error.
US laws are designed to make jobs safer
Tarana Burke, who started the #MeToo hashtag back in 2006, believes the movement has started something:
Now we have a sustained, national dialogue about sexual violence that didn’t exist before. This was only possible because there was a shelter for a new community when the hashtag went viral. That opened up so many possibilities. I couldn’t imagine that I would experience this again!
Five years after “MeToo”, sexual abuse remains a major issue, and sensitivity to it has increased, especially in Hollywood. 22 states have passed laws to make workplaces safer. Nevertheless, the Weinstein case does not come to rest either.
Feature film works on revelations of the “New York Times”.
The feature film “She Said” by German director Maria Schrader, who is working on the revelations of the “New York Times”, will be released in November. The film could influence the jury, Weinstein’s lawyers had criticized. Nevertheless, the process should take place as planned and last about two months.
If Weinstein is convicted again in Los Angeles, his sentence could be increased again. However, Weinstein himself still hopes to be released. A New York appeals court in August granted his request to appeal the earlier 2020 conviction.
Second trial of Harvey Weinstein for sexual molestation and rape
Katharina Wilhelm, ARD Los Angeles, 10/10/2022 8:25 a.m