Sorry Harvey, Not Sorry Harvey
When I was a kid growing up in Buffalo, NY in the 1980’s, I would regularly hear radio commercials for Harvey and Corky Productions. Harvey and Corky brought huge artists to the Buffalo area for much of the 1980’s and perhaps beyond (I moved away in 1989). Given the timing of this article, you have probably guessed that Harvey of Harvey and Corky was none other than Harvey Weinstein. Weinstein enrolled at the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1969 and launched his career as a media mogul in Western New York. Weinstein was once among the biggest and most powerful names in Hollywood and if the dozens of allegations are to be believed, he used that power to sexually coerce women in Hollywood to perform sex acts against their will. These allegations were a poorly kept secret in Hollywood and throughout the entertainment industry but little to nothing was reported until roughly seven months ago. When the damn burst, a tidal wave of allegations came flooding down on top of Weinstein. He was quickly removed as the head of Miramax and went into virtual hiding (or as they call it in Hollywood, rehab). Despite all of the allegations ranging from indecent exposure to rape, there had been no criminal repercussions for Harvey. That changed this week when he was formally charged with multiple counts of sexual assault in New York. Weinstein will get his day in court. There will almost certainly be a trial and Weinstein can probably afford a legal team that would make OJ Simpson’s Dream Team jealous. We have seen money “buy justice” many times in this country and it could happen here. That being said, these charges are probably just the first of many to come (California has yet to file any charges). So give Harvey his day in court and let’s hope justice is served. Even if he is not successfully prosecuted criminally, Weinstein likely will spend the next several years throwing money at lawyers in an attempt to skirt justice. Even if he wins this court battle, he has lost the war. To which all I can say is “Sorry Harvey, Not Sorry”.
New York (CNN)–Harvey Weinstein was arraigned Friday on charges of first- and third-degree rape and committing a criminal sexual act in the first degree, seven months after women began to come forward with stories alleging sexual misconduct by the famed Hollywood producer.
The charges filed Friday stem from incidents with two separate women in 2013 and 2004, the Manhattan district attorney said in a statement, and were the result of a joint investigation between police and the Manhattan DA’s office.
“Mr. Weinstein has always maintained that he has never engaged in non-consensual sexual behavior with anyone. Nothing about today’s proceedings changes Mr. Weinstein’s position. He has entered a plea of not guilty and fully expects to be exonerated,” attorney Benjamin Brafman said in a statement after the arraignment.
As part of the agreement between Brafman and the DA’s office, Weinstein’s bond was set at $10 million. He’ll be required to wear a GPS monitoring system and is only allowed to travel within New York state or Connecticut. He also surrendered his passport.
