After being sentenced to an additional 16 years last week, Harvey Weinstein will most likely spend the rest of his life behind bars. Weinstein is appealing his rape and sexual assault conviction, but for the survivors, they feel justice has finally been served.
“He will be sentenced today. He can’t hurt anyone anymore,” said Evgeniya Chernyshova, known in the case as Jane Doe #1, during Weinstein’s sentencing on February 23 in downtown Los Angeles criminal court.
“I truly believe that this verdict, and the maximum sentence, will restore faith in the justice system for many survivors out there,” Chernyshova told the judge, moments before Weinstein was sentenced.
Chernyshova was the only woman to give a victim impact statement in the courtroom at Weinstein’s sentencing because she is the only accuser whose testimony led the jury to convict Weinstein on three counts. But during the two-month trial, eight women took the stand to testify about their alleged experiences with Weinstein.
Jane Doe #3, a massage therapist who remained anonymous outside the courtroom, testified about multiple instances where Weinstein allegedly assaulted her during massage appointments. The court acquitted Weinstein of the sexually charged allegations surrounding her claims. However, Jane Doe #3 expressed relief at Weinstein’s conviction.
“Justice prevailed for the survivors,” she said in a statement provided by her lawyers. “No woman needs to fear Harvey Weinstein again, as he will never be released from prison. I testified against Harvey Weinstein, staring this monster in the eye for three days in a brutal trial in which Weinstein’s lawyers tried to smear me and all of his accusers by claiming that Harvey was a victim of the #MeToo movement. Today, the court rejected that idea and gave Harvey what he deserved.”
Jane Doe #3’s attorneys, Debra Katz, Lisa Banks and Genie Harrison, applauded her and the other survivors who spoke out against Weinstein.
“Society owes a debt of gratitude to the brave women who ended Weinstein’s reign of terror as one of the most prolific sex offenders in history,” the lawyers said in a joint statement. “It is fitting that he will live the reminder of his miserable life behind bars.
Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of Gov. Gavin Newsom and the trial’s most high-profile witness, said justice was served with Weinstein’s conviction, but warned the public not to ignore the larger issues of systemic abusers and agents. “This whole process has been one of the most difficult experiences of my life,” she said in a video the day Weinstein was sentenced. “But the most important solution is that we all have a role to play in healing this culture in which violence against women is the norm.”
Siebel Newsom’s attorney, Elizabeth Fegan, says that despite the jury’s mixed verdict, Weinstein’s conviction was made possible by “eight very courageous women who came forward to confront this serial rapist.” In addition to representing Siebel Newsom in the trial, Fegan also represented former actress and dancer Ashley Matthau, who testified that she was assaulted in 2003 by Weinstein in Puerto Rico where she was working on location as a dancer on the Miramax film “Dirty Dancing: Nights Havana.”
“My clients, First California Associate Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Ashley Matthau, were adamant that they were not satisfied with Harvey Weinstein’s sentence in New York, especially with the appeal at play,” says Fegan. “Their testimony empowered them to reclaim their voices, both for themselves and on behalf of the many other women abused by Harvey Weinstein. It cannot erase the trauma they have suffered, but it can serve as a catalyst for change and offer hope to other survivors.”
Louisette Geiss, author, songwriter and actress, testified during the trial as a corroborative witness for Siebel Newsom. She was not asked on the stand about her own experience, but she was one of the first accusers to come forward in 2017 with sexual abuse allegations against Weinstein.
“I am very grateful that Judge Lenz sentenced Harvey Weinstein to several years that will ensure he will never be able to harm another woman again,” says Geiss. Variety. “Having to testify was more than a challenge for myself and my family, but with this sentence, I know it was all for the greater good. It’s time for serial predators to feel the wrath of the justice system.”
Geiss talk to Variety outside the courthouse with fellow Silence Breaker Caitlin Dulany, who accused Weinstein in 2017 of assaulting her at the Cannes Film Festival in the 1990s. Dulany has become a prominent survivor activist, elected as a member of the local Los Angeles Council with SAG-AFTRA and served on the Sexual Harassment Prevention Committee. “While there will always be a deep sadness and weight in my heart because of the sexual assault I suffered at the hands of Harvey Weinstein more than 27 years ago, today I feel a sense of vindication,” says Dulany.
For Dulany, Weinstein’s latest conviction represents much more than the Los Angeles trial. He says the conviction makes sense for the more than 100 women who have publicly accused Weinstein — many of whom will never have their day in court because of the statute of limitations and other factors.
“Knowing that Weinstein was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the crimes he committed against me and others ensures that some measure of justice was served today,” she says. “I stand with my fellow survivors who have bravely come forward to tell the world about their experiences with Weinstein and then relive those stories year after year, ordeal after ordeal to be a collective voice for all survivors, especially for the voiceless. While any time in prison could never make up for the trauma that Weinstein inflicted on each of his victims – a trauma that we carry and will continue to carry with us every day of our lives – I have a sense of peace knowing that he will likely pass the rest of his life in prison.”
Silence Breaker Jessica Barth, who sat in the courtroom for Weinstein’s sentencing with Dulany and Geiss, called the conviction “a victory for all survivors of sexual violence.” He hopes the historic outcome of the Weinstein saga will have a positive impact on how the justice system handles sex crime cases, which are notoriously difficult to prosecute and statistically, go largely unreported.
“Judge Lentz’s decision should encourage the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office to prosecute the multiple cases still pending in their office – many for several months, some for years,” says Barth. Variety. “Every victim of such heinous crimes deserves to have their voice heard.” (Barth flags victims in need to contact her non-profile, Voices in Action.)
While Weinstein has been ordered to serve two consecutive sentences in New York and Los Angeles, he is appealing both convictions. Weinstein, who denies all allegations of sexual assault, faces an uphill legal battle, and many of his accusers have shared that they are no longer worried he will go free now that he has received two long sentences in two separate jurisdictions.
Before Weinstein’s lawyers announced their intention to appeal, they sought a new trial with a new jury, which the judge denied. Chernyshova will likely be the main subject of Weinstein’s appeal in Los Angeles, as she was the basis of the unsuccessful motion for a new trial. The Russian model, who testified that Weinstein raped her in 2013 during the LA Italia Film Festival, has become the focus of Weinstein’s defense, which says he withheld relevant information from the jury and accused her of being financially motivated. , after filing a civil suit against Weinstein.
Chernyshova’s attorney, Dave Ring, isn’t worried about the prospect of Weinstein’s lawsuit. “Weinstein is out of options and justice has prevailed,” says the lawyer.
“It took tremendous courage for Jane Doe #1 and the other victims to come forward and testify against Weinstein,” adds Ring. “Jane Doe #1 endured two full days of outrageous cross-examination from Weinstein’s lawyers, but the jury convicted him unanimously, and now he’s been convicted by the jury.”
Although Weinstein’s conviction is being applauded by his survivors’ network, all say there is still much work to be done for victims of sexual assault.
Women’s rights activist and high-profile lawyer Gloria Allred, who represented three women in Weinstein’s trial in LA, was disappointed that not all of her clients were given the opportunity to make victim impact statements at sentencing. (The judge allowed only Chernyshova to make a statement in court, as the other women’s testimony did not lead to a conviction.)
Now, Allred is fighting for increased rights for victims, who she believes should be able to speak at sentencing hearings for their alleged perpetrators. The lawyer has filed a petition with the California Court of Appeals seeking a ruling that makes clear her clients have the right to give a victim impact statement at Harvey Weinstein’s sentencing hearing, even without a conviction on the allegations their.
“There was justice for Harvey Weinstein, but very little justice for the three victims I represent who testified in his criminal case in Los Angeles,” Allred says. Variety. “Although all of my clients either testified before the Grand Jury, at trial, or both, the judge in this case denied them what we claim was their constitutional right under the California Constitution to testify about victim impact in today’s sentencing of Harvey Weinstein. This denial hurt them deeply.”
“This case is bigger than the question of how many years are in the sentence for Harvey Weinstein,” Allred continues. “This is about the victim’s right to be heard at a sentencing hearing by a court. The victims and their voices matter.”
