photo credit: lev radin // Shutterstock
After the conviction of Bill Cosby, many people are hoping movie producer Harvey Weinstein will be next.
Weinstein appeared in front of a judge on Thursday, during which one of the 3 cases against him was dropped. This case was brought up by aspiring actress Lucia Evans, who says Weinstein allegedly forced her to perform oral sex on him in 2004 while they were in his office. Prosecutors said the actress gave a different version of her story than a witness, who she told her story to. Evans told the courts she was forced to give oral sex to Weinstein in exchange for a movie role, but the witness says Evans was not forced to performed oral sex.
Weinstein’s lawyer claims that prosecutors withheld evidence that would have softened the jury towards Weinstein, including friendly emails from one accuser after the alleged rape. For the other associations, his team is simply trying to find whatever holes they can in theses women’s stories.
More than 75 women have come forward over the past year accusing Weinstein of rape and sexual assault, but the criminal case only involves 3 women. According to WNCT, Evans, an unidentified woman who says he raped her in a hotel room in 2013, and an actress who said Weinstein performed a forcible sex act on her in 2006. Women have said they were forced to perform oral sex, forced to be massaged, or even raped by Weinstein after meeting with him to discuss their careers.
The New York City Police Department said in a statement it “remains fully confident in the overall case it has pursued against Mr. Weinstein. The evidence shows that the criminal case against him is strong.”
Weinstein has pleaded not guilty and is out on a $1 million bail. His next hearing will be December 20th
Written by Clarke Jones