Ashley Judd Doesn’t Mince Words About Harvey Weinstein Overturned Conviction
Ashley Judd, the actress whose allegations against Harvey Weinstein, now-former film producer and convicted sex offender, helped spark the #MeToo movement, didn’t hold back when reacting to the New York Court of Appeals overturning his 2020 sexual assault conviction. Judd called the decision an “institutional betrayal” and slammed its impact on those affected.
Overturning Harvey Weinstein’s Conviction
Back in 2020, a New York jury found Weinstein guilty of sexual assault and was convicted of two separate crimes.
The first one involves attacking an actress in 2013 and the second one a former production assistant in 2006. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison which gave conclusion to his victims that sought justice.
However, the State of New York Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court, overturned Weinstein’s conviction on April 25, 2024. The court’s reasoning centered on the testimonies of some of the victims who were brought in as witnesses.
Ashley Judd Spoke Out
They ruled that the judge had committed an error when allowed women to testify about allegations against Weinstein that weren’t part of the specific charges in the case. These testimonies did not directly address the crimes he was on trial for and pushed the jury against him, according to the New York Court of Appeals.
Ashley Judd spoke on CBS Mornings about the overturned conviction. “What I want to note is male sexual violence is such a thief,” Judd said in a live interview with CBS Mornings.
“First, they rape us and then they steal our time. Because I was having a great morning and now I have to invest in talking about how not only is Harvey Weinstein still guilty, but we have institutional betrayal, which is a real thing.”
Harvey Weinstein Still Serving Time
While the New York conviction is overturned there is a silver lining for Ashley Judd and the #MeToo movement. Harvey Weinstein continues to serve a separate 16-year sentence in California for sexual assault.
However, this case can be appealed next month possibly using similar arguments to the one in New York.
Investigative reporter Jodi Kantor has talked about the legal differences between the two states, revealing some details.
She explained the limited choices that Manhattan prosecutors in New York criminal trial faced that affected Weinstein’s case.
“So think of it this way, if you took all of the women who have terrible stories about Harvey Weinstein, they could fill a courtroom of their own, women like Ashley,” Kantor said.
“However most of those women, like Ashley, were not eligible to stand at the center of a New York criminal trial.”
Retrying The Case?
She came forward to explain that these limitations are based on the location and timing of the alleged crimes: “The acts didn’t take place here in New York. They took place too long ago. A lot of it was sexual harassment as you experienced and not the kind of criminal violent acts that can land you in jail,” Kantor said.
Despite the setback, prosecutors remain active on the New York case as they plan to retry it. “We will do everything in our power to retry this case, and remain steadfast in our commitment to survivors of sexual assault,” a spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said.
Wider Range Of Evidence Coming
In a statement regarding the New York court decision, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office pointed out: “Unlike New York law, California law (Evidence Code section 1108) permits the admissibility of propensity evidence in sexual assault cases subject to the judge’s discretion,” the office said.
“Consistent with this law, our office sought the admission of propensity evidence of Mr. Weinstein’s sexual assaults in other jurisdictions.”
This only means that prosecutors in California may bring a wider range of evidence, including testimonials from some of Weinstein’s other accusers.
Ashley Judd Supporting Survivors
Ashley Judd continues her support for survivors and pushes for a positive closure by saying, “Courtrooms are not healing spaces”. “They are traumatizing spaces and victims should not have to perform their trauma to find peace. You know what will give us satisfaction and peace is when men stop raping women. Period.”
Ashley Judd concluded the interview with a strong message for survivors: “The bad news is there are many survivors of male sexual violence and the good news is there are a lot of us. We can support each other. We can nurture each other and when we tell our stories we’re exercising leadership,” she said.
Ashley Judd remains active in the #MeToo movement saying that #MeToo is a movement and not a fleeting moment, calling other victims to join them in their fight for a moral purpose to end sexual violence.
Source: CBS News
