Weinstein dodges sentencing enhancement, faces 18 years
Harvey Weinstein will face a maximum prison sentence of 18 years after a Los Angeles jury failed to reach a verdict on special allegations that Weinstein planned his assault on a model-actor in 2013 and whether she was “particularly vulnerable.”.
Prosecutor: Women's stories show Weinstein's predatory power
A prosecutor told jurors Monday that the women who will testify that Harvey Weinstein sexually assaulted them will tell uncannily similar stories of themselves as young aspiring women who were cornered in hotel rooms by a man who defined Hollywood power.
Back to normal? Cannes Film Festival prepares to party
After the 2020 Cannes Film Festival was canceled by the pandemic and the 2021 edition was scaled back — even kisses were forbade on the red carpet — the lavish French Riviera cinema soiree is set to return with a festival that promises to be something like normal.
Appellate judges raise doubts about Harvey Weinstein’s conviction
A New York appeals court has excoriated Manhattan prosecutors for filling out Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial last year with what one judge deemed “incredibly prejudicial testimony” from women whose allegations weren’t part of the criminal charges against him.
Ghislaine Maxwell’s brother says US prosecutors seeking to ‘break’ her
The brother of a British socialite charged with helping Jeffrey Epstein exploit underage girls says her prosecution is “the most over-hyped trial of the century,” designed to break a woman targeted by authorities who are desperate to blame someone for the late financier’s crimes.
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Texans QB’s sex assault cases highlight concerns amid #MeToo
Lawyers fighting sexual assault allegations against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson face a predicament: Defending their client means working to discredit the claims of 22 women who are more likely to be believed four years into the #MeToo movement.
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House GOP takes cash from casino mogul accused of misconduct
A House Republican fundraising committee controlled by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy received over $770,000 from Steve Wynn, a Las Vegas casino mogul who stepped down from his company in 2018 after multiple women accused him of sexual misconduct.
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NYT reporters writing young person's edition of 'She Said'
This combination of photos shows the cover image forChasing the Truth: A Young Journalists Guide to Investigative Reporting, left, and a portrait of New York Times journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, at the Time 100 Gala in New York on April 24, 2018.. Their book will be published Sept. 14. (Philomel via AP, left, and AP Photo)NEW YORK – An acclaimed book by two New York Times journalists who won Pulitzer Prizes for their investigation of Harvey Weinstein is coming out in an edition for young reporters. “Chasing the Truth: A Young Journalist’s Guide to Investigative Reporting,” by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, will be published Sept. 14 by Philomel, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers. In 2019, Kantor and Twohey released “She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement.”“With ‘Chasing the Truth,’ we’re inviting young people into investigative journalism," Kantor and Twohey said in a statement Wednesday. "We’re excited to show them how this work can uncover hidden truths, hold the powerful to account and help drive social change.”Kantor and Twohey, along with Ronan Farrow of The New Yorker, won Pulitzers in 2018 for “impactful journalism that exposed powerful and wealthy sexual predators, including allegations against one of Hollywood’s most influential producers.”
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Legislator being investigated for Weinstein backdrop on Zoom
Bickford apologized, calling it "inappropriate and in poor taste." Weinstein is a former Hollywood producer who faced accusations from more than 80 women that he sexually assaulted them. (Maine Legislature via Zoom via AP)AUGUSTA, Maine – A Maine legislator who appeared for Zoom meetings twice with a background that made a joking reference to convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein is being investigated by the Legislature’s human resources department. Both times, Bickford quickly changed the background to a lake, which is his typical background for Zoom meetings. “It was inappropriate and in poor taste.
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NYC prosecutor leading Trump probe won't seek reelection
FILE - In this July 1, 2014 file photo, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., is interviewed on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. who sees the Trump case through. “I never imagined myself as District Attorney for decades like my predecessors. The Trump case will likely be an early test for the next district attorney. Vance's office reopened the Hadden case amid public outcry last year, and the doctor was indicted on federal charges.
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Critics: Cuomo apology 'tone-deaf,' ignores power imbalance
FILE In this Jan. 28, 2019 file photo, Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou, D-Manhattan, speaks in the Assembly Chamber at the state Capitol, in Albany, N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomos response to accusations that he sexually harassed women on the job is being viewed as a tone-deaf faux-pology by critics and victim's advocates. Cuomo said in a statement that he only meant to joke with staff to add levity to their serious work. Yuh-Line Niou calls sexual harassment at the statehouse rampant. __This story has been updated to correct the age of Yuh-Line Niou.
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Left out of MeToo: New initiative focuses on Black survivors
Tarana Burke, founder and leader of the #MeToo movement, stands in her home in Baltimore on Oct. 13, 2020. A coalition of three groups vital to the #MeToo movement is collaborating on an initiative to focus on a population that has often felt left out of the conversation: Black survivors of sexual violence. (AP Photo/Steve Ruark, file)It’s been more than three years since the #MeToo movement launched a culture-shifting conversation about sexual violence. In a statement, the groups said they were working together to create safe spaces for Black survivors; to confront narratives "that harm and silence Black survivors;" and lastly to come up with new practices that will help get Black survivors “believed, heard, and supported.”Burke said the most important immediate impact will simply be that a national conversation is being had. AdAmong the initiative's concrete plans: narrative research; conversation guides; a five-part event series; and “rapid-response tools” to support Black survivors who come forward.
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AP Interview: Olympic champion adds voice to #MeToo movement
Greek Olympic sailing champion Sofia Bekatorou poses for a photograph during an interview for the Associated Press, at Agios Kosmas marina in southern Athens, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. Bekatorou spent her first afternoons in a bathtub-sized sailboat stuck in circles, but coaches took note of the girl's determination. “I’m very happy that they came forward and spoke out,” she said in an interview with The Associated Press,. AdAlong with her Olympic medals, Bekatorou brought home four World Championship titles and a shelfful of national and European trophies. Greek Justice Minister Kostas Tsiaras said the government planned to make legal changes to make it easier for sexual assault victims to report crimes.
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Weinstein accuser demands deposition as settlement looms
In this Feb. 24, 2020, file photo, Harvey Weinstein arrives at a Manhattan courthouse as jury deliberations continue in his rape trial in New York. AdThe lawyer said Canosa was deposed last week and Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob should face questions too. In her lawsuit, Canosa alleged she was raped, sexually abused, intimidated and harassed from 2010 until September 2017, during what Harvey Weinstein maintained were business meetings. Canosa claims Weinstein threatened that she would lose her job at his company and he would blackball her if she denied his advances. Giuffra noted that Weinstein is incarcerated in a New York prison, where he can be deposed virtually.
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Fight The Man: What GameStop's surge says about online mobs
Melvin Capital is also exiting GameStop, with manager Gabe Plotkin telling CNBC that the hedge fund was taking a significant loss. Last week they gave us the Great GameStop Stock Uprising. Online spaces are being used to radicalize people toward extremism, to plan hate crimes and attacks," she said. It’s the same thing as when Jim Cramer gets on CNBC smashing buttons.”AdIn 2017, the hashtag “MeToo" began going viral as women — and some men — shared their experiences of sexual assault on social media. Social media also helped Black Lives Matter activists organize rallies, record police violence and communicate during the marches sweeping the U.S. and other countries following the death of George Floyd last summer.
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Judge OKs Weinstein bankruptcy plan with $17M for victims
A Delaware judge has approved a revised Weinstein Co. bankruptcy plan that provides about $35 million for creditors, with roughly half that amount going to women who've accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct. The judge approved the plan following a hearing and overruled objections by attorneys representing four women. The settlement in that purported class-action lawsuit was a key component of the initial bankruptcy plan. The sexual misconduct claims will be evaluated on a point system allowing a maximum 100 points. That includes up to 60 points for physical sexual misconduct claims, a maximum 30 points for claims of nonphysical sexual misconduct, and up to 10 points for claims of emotional distress and economic harm.
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Another delay granted for Harvey Weinstein extradition
Weinstein appeared via video from prison before Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case, who, because of the worsening pandemic, agreed to postpone Weinstein's extradition hearing until April 9. “We're not looking for publicity, judge,” Weinstein's attorney, Norman Effman, said. He faces similar charges involving five women in California, stemming from alleged assaults in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills from 2004 to 2013. Because Weinstein is imprisoned in New York, a judge must sign off on transferring him to the custody of Los Angeles authorities to be tried there. Effman cited Weinstein’s health in supporting the continued delay of the extradition proceedings originally scheduled for August.
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Pop Culture in (ugh) 2020, from the bizarre to the sublime
on Aug. 31, 2020, actor Chadwick Boseman in character as T'Challa in "Black Panther" and 10-year old twins Lenny, left, and Bobby Homes paying tribute to Boseman at their home in in Mesa, Ariz. on Aug. 31, 2020. (Takiyah Dupas, Marvel Studios, Annalie Homes via AP)And now, for our annual look at the year in pop culture…. Truth is, people turned to culture of all kinds in 2020 — highbrow and lowbrow — to satisfy varied and sometimes conflicting needs: Distraction, inspiration, consolation, escapism, hope. A Broadway star serenaded health workers from his apartment window, and ballet dancers performed “Swan Lake” from their bathtubs. The world mourns an actor of immense talent who, like many of his characters, radiated a regal sense of dignity.
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Weinstein accusers endorse Manhattan DA candidate Lucy Lang
A group of women, including Mann, who said they were victimized by Weinstein, endorsed former prosecutor Lucy Lang on Tuesday, Nov. 17 to replace the Manhattan district attorney who put the movie mogul behind bars. Lang, one of several women campaigning to become Manhattan’s first female state prosecutor, called their endorsement an “incredible honor." Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., who oversaw Weinstein's prosecution, has not said whether he’ll seek a fourth term. Lang is among a host of candidates who have announced they are running for Manhattan district attorney. Lang was an assistant district attorney in Manhattan for 12 years before leaving in 2018 to become director of the Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College.
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Weinstein accuser who testified at his trial sues him
Haleyi, who testified against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, has filed a lawsuit against him Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, seeking damages for what she described as lasting injuries. The former "Project Runway" production assistant said in the lawsuit that she repeatedly told Weinstein "no" when he forcibly attacked her inside his apartment in July 2006. Miriam Haley brought the lawsuit in Manhattan federal court, seeking unspecified damages for sexual attacks she described from the witness stand at Weinstein’s trial earlier this year. In California, Weinstein is awaiting trial on charges including rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual battery by restraint and sexual penetration by use of force. Haley, a former “Project Runway” production assistant, said in the lawsuit that she repeatedly told Weinstein "no" when he forcibly attacked her inside his apartment in July 2006.
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White woman charged in racist NYC run-in made a 2nd 911 call
On the video Christian Cooper recorded of Amy Cooper, he sounded calm and appeared to keep a safe distance from her. There is no relation between Christian Cooper and Amy Cooper. Amy Cooper also warned him she would summon police unless he stopped recording. “Please call the cops,” said Christian Cooper. Police said that by the time officers responded, Amy and Christian Cooper were both gone.
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Harvey Weinstein charged with 3 more rapes in California
LOS ANGELES – Harvey Weinstein was charged Friday with the rapes of two more women and now faces 11 sexual assault counts involving five women in California as the former movie mogul serves prison time in New York, prosecutors said. Weinstein was charged with three new counts of rape and three new counts of forcible oral copulation involving two women, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said. Weinstein spokesman Juda Engelmayer said in response to the charges that “Harvey Weinstein has always maintained that every one of his physical encounters throughout his entire life have been consensual. In California, Weinstein was first charged with rape in January, just as his trial was beginning in New York. The district attorney's office also recently brought rape charges against “That '70s Show” actor Danny Masterson, though that investigation predated the task force.
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Survey: In Hollywood, few believe harassers will be punished
But that doesn’t mean workers in Hollywood have faith that other harassers and abusers will be similarly punished. Instead, three years after the explosive Weinstein scandal launched the #MeToo movement, a survey by the Hollywood Commission, chaired by Anita Hill, finds a strong belief in the industry that sexual harassers will not be held to account. “People don't believe their complaints will be taken seriously, they don’t believe that something will happen to people who are found to be harassers. — Few people are reporting sexual harassment or misconduct, because there is little confidence something will be done about it. Hill said she was also struck by the fact that the respondents “really believe in this industry.
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Weinstein reaches tentative $19M deal with accusers
NEW YORK – Harvey Weinstein and his former studio’s board have reached a nearly $19 million settlement with dozens of his sexual misconduct accusers, New York state's attorney general and lawyers in a class-action lawsuit said Tuesday. The agreement was announced by New York Attorney General Letitia James and Chicago attorney Elizabeth A. Fegan. The deal, if approved by judges in federal courts, would permit accusers to claim from $7,500 to $750,000 from the $18.8 million settlement. The former Hollywood producer was convicted earlier this year of rape and sexual assault against two women. Attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor and Kevin Mintzer, who represent some of Weinstein's accusers in lawsuits, said in a statement that the proposed settlement was “a complete sellout of the Weinstein survivors."