On Friday the jury was reported as deadlocked on the most serious counts facing the movie producer. Weinstein’s lawyers offered to accept a partial verdict but the presiding judge didn’t allow it, sending the jury back to deliberate.
In October 2017, Weinstein was accused of sexual misconduct, rape, and harassment by a number of women including several famous actresses in bombshell reports from The New York Times and The New Yorker. In the years since the allegations set off a wave of similar investigations in Hollywood and other industries.
Update, 12:37: According to New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor, who along with Megan Twohey broke the Weinstein story, Weinstein is being taken straight to jail to await his sentencing.
And for the walker skeptics, reporters in the courtroom reported that Weinstein was led out of the courtroom by court security, leaving the walker behind.
In the aftermath of the verdict Tarana Burke, creator of the “MeToo” hashtag, posted her thoughts on the website for the Me Too Mvmt organization. She concludes:
Whether you are an office worker, a nanny, an assistant, a cook, a factory worker— we all have to deal with the spectre of sexual violence derailing our lives.
And, though today a man has been found guilty, we have to wonder whether anyone will care about the rest of us tomorrow. This is why we say MeToo.
Update, 2:38 p.m.: Ronan Farrow reports that the sex crime case brought against Weinstein in Los Angeles is still proceeding as planned. The charges include forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by use of force, and sexual battery by restraint. If convicted, Weinstein faces a sentence of up to 28 years in prison.
This is an ongoing story and Jezebel will be posting updates as we receive more information.
