On Monday, February 24, 2020 in New York County Supreme Court, once-powerful film producer Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of criminal sexual assault of Miriam Haley and rape in the third degree of Jessica Mann. The conviction carries a maximum combined sentence of 29 years in prison. Mr. Weinstein’s sentencing is set for March 11, 2020.
Wigdor LLP represented Tarale Wulff, a model and former cocktail waitress who testified at the criminal trial as a “Molineux witness.” She testified that Mr. Weinstein sexually assaulted her in 2005 after he lured her to his Manhattan apartment under the false pretext of reading a screenplay for a potential acting role. Ms. Wulff was represented by Wigdor LLP Founding Partner Douglas H. Wigdor and Associate Lindsay M. Goldbrum.
Wigdor LLP also represents five other victims of alleged sexual abuse by Mr. Weinstein, including three women with pending civil claims against the disgraced movie mogul. Mr. Wigdor has vehemently opposed the purported $25 million civil settlement for failing to adequately hold accountable Mr. Weinstein and the former directors of The Weinstein Company who allegedly enabled his sexual abuse for decades.
Speaking to a pool of reporters outside the courthouse shortly after the conviction was announced, Mr. Wigdor thanked the six victims who testified at the trial “for having the courage to stand up in not easy circumstances to face cross examination, to face the media, to face scrutiny, but to do what was right,” and for “lending a voice” to the countless women who were allegedly victimized by Mr. Weinstein that did not have the opportunity to have their voices directly heard during the trial.
Mr. Wigdor also issued the following statement shortly after the guilty verdict was handed down:
“While we cannot undo the harm that Weinstein has caused to so many victims, hopefully today can bring about some sense of healing. We are thrilled that the jury has found Weinstein guilty and are confident that our client Tarale Wulff played a significant role in that outcome. All of the survivors who participated in the criminal trial should be applauded for bringing about some sense of justice. We are also grateful to the entire team at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office that worked tirelessly in preparing and presenting this case. We are now even more confident that Weinstein and his enablers will be found liable in the civil courts and we will continue to object to the one-sided civil settlement that has been proposed.”
Mr. Wigdor also discussed the guilty verdict in television interviews, which aired on CNN International, Nightline, NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, BBC World News, PBS and NBC New York, as well as radio interviews on BBC Radio 4 and BBC World Service.
