Harvey Weinstein Defense Closing Argument: Women Need to Take Responsibility for Actions - Variety

Harvey Weinstein’s attorney, Donna Rotunno, implored a New York jury on Thursday to exonerate the former movie mogul, arguing that his accusers have shirked responsibility for their own actions.

Rotunno used her closing argument to urge jurors to set aside any prejudice they may have against Weinstein, and to rely instead on their “New York City common sense.” She argued that the women who allege that Weinstein sexually assaulted them were embarrassed about having used the movie producer to advance their own careers.

“In their universe, women are not responsible for the parties they attend, the men they flirt with, the hotel room invitations, the plane tickets they expect, the jobs they hope to obtain,” Rotunno said. “In this universe, they aren’t even responsible for sitting at their computers and emailing someone across the country… In this script, the powerful man is the villain and he is so unattractive and large that no woman would want to sleep with him.”

Weinstein is facing five counts of rape, criminal sex acts, and predatory sexual assault, and could face life in prison if convicted. The prosecution called six women to testify about their alleged assaults, but the case rests largely on the allegations of two of them: aspiring actress-turned-hairdresser Jessica Mann, and former “Project Runway” production assistant Miriam Haley. Mann alleges that she was trapped in a predatory relationship with Weinstein, and accuses him of raping her at a DoubleTree Hotel in Manhattan in March 2013. Haley has accused Weinstein of forcibly performing oral sex on her at his apartment in Soho in 2006.

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Rotunno spoke to a packed and hushed courtroom in downtown Manhattan, where throngs of media had assembled in the early morning hours to get seats. Dozens of members of the public were denied entrance, but huddled just outside the court room, eager to find out what was going on behind closed doors. Among those in the audience was Rotunno’s father. As her client looked on with rapt attention, Rotunno returned to a theme that she has struck in interviews ahead of the trial, suggesting that the #MeToo movement had gone too far. She suggested that prosecutors were arguing that Mann and Haley lacked “autonomy” or “common sense.”

Addressing Haley’s allegations first, Rotunno pointed to an email that Haley sent Weinstein in 2008, in which she signed off, “Lots of love.”

“She cared because they had a flirtatious relationship,” she said. “She cared because she was using him for jobs.”

She also noted that Haley was represented by Gloria Allred, and suggested that Haley intends to file a civil suit against Weinstein. “Civil lawyers give scripts to their clients so that they don’t have to admit to you that they’re looking for money,” Rotunno said.

“Of course you have doubt,” she continued. “How could you not?”

She also urged jurors not to be swayed by their emotions, or by public sentiment.

“Here, in New York City, in the United States of America, we don’t cave to the pressure,” said Rotunno, adding, “You should never feel bullied or pressured to change your decision… Stand your ground… Historically, you are the last line of defense in this country, from the overzealous media, from the overzealous prosecutors.”

Shortly before Rotunno began her remarks, Justice James Burke asked Weinstein if he was certain about his decision not to testify in his own defense, noting that the movie producer had told media he had wanted to share his side of the story.

“Yes, your honor,” Weinstein said.

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Harvey Weinstein Defense Closing Argument: Women Need to Take Responsibility for Actions - Variety
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