[AshleyJuddetautresaccusateursdeWeinstein[AshleyJuddandotherWeinsteinaccusers[AshleyJuddetautresaccusateursdeWeinstein[AshleyJuddandotherWeinsteinaccusersspoke to the Times about the verdict.]
The #MeToo movement helped propel the pursuit. Mr. Vance, the district attorney, had criticized for not prosecuting Mr. Weinstein in 2015 after an Italian model complained to police that the producer grabbed his breasts and tried to force his hand over his skirt. And some of Mr. Weinstein’s accusers who had not previously gone to the police were then willing to participate in the criminal justice process if it meant supporting and protecting other women.
“I just wanted to add my voice to support and share my experience with the hope of helping someone else who has been victimized,” said Miriam Haley, a former production assistant, at the witness stand.
“I did it for all of us,” said Dawn Dunning, who testified in support of the trial, on Monday. “I did it for women who couldn’t testify. I couldn’t not do it. “
Joan Illuzzi, the lead attorney, did not have much forensic evidence or direct witnesses to prove the wrongdoing. Instead, his team worked to establish a predation model, putting four other women on the stand who told similar stories of rape or abuse by Mr. Weinstein. These types of supporting witnesses were crucial to the successful prosecution of Bill Cosby in 2018. In the Weinstein trial, they provided much greater testimony than the sum of its parts, reflecting the collective power of women’s voices at the heart of #MeToo.
For decades, Mr. Weinstein has used high-priced lawyers and secret settlements to silence women with allegations of sexual misconduct against him. But during the trial, which began in early January, he was unable to speak. On the advice of his lawyers, he did not take a position. Instead, he listened to six women testify about what they said he had done to them.
Many women described being humiliated by the producer. While they were talking, Mr. Weinstein often seemed humiliated. At one point, while an accuser, Jessica Mann, was describing her genitals, Mr. Weinstein bowed his head.
To counter the allegations, Mr. Weinstein and his legal team sounded the message at home that #MeToo had gotten out of hand.