A WOMAN who accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct hopes the decision to order a retrial of his 2020 New York rape case will encourage more victims to speak up against the disgraced film director and ensure he rots in prison.
Louisette Geiss helped testify against Weinstein in his California trial two years ago and claims she was subjected to a horrific incident with the now 72-year-old in 2008.
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Weinstein, a veteran of the film industry, was sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape in New York four years ago.
Still, last week the New York Court of Appeals threw out the conviction after they declared the trial judge unfairly allowed testimonies on allegations that were not part of that particular case.
The trial judge was said to have “erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes.”
Geiss thinks sick Weinstein, who was also jailed for 16 years in Los Angeles in 2022 after being found guilty of rape, should be regarded in the same light as OJ Simpson and Bill Cosby, who were controversially acquitted of their alleged crimes.
There’s also an overriding feeling, according to Florida native Geiss, that some people in Hollywood and across showbusiness should be ashamed for turning a blind eye to “30 years” of misdemeanors.
LEGAL WRANGLINGS
The retrial won’t begin until September but Weinstein’s lawyers have indicated they will contest his California conviction on May 20, bolstered by the result of his most recent appeal.
New York and California laws differ when it comes to witness testimonies.
However, one of his attorneys, Jennifer Bonjean, was reported as saying that the reasons for the decision in New York are “equally applicable” in the Los Angeles case.
Bonjean, who successfully overturned Cosby’s sexual assault conviction on a technicality in 2021, claims prosecutors made a mistake by telling the jury about the result of the New York charges.
In the wake of the retrial announcement, Cosby’s spokesman, Andrew Wyatt, asserted that all Americans, regardless of wealth, deserve due process. He urged the public to focus on facts and evidence rather than personal feelings, emphasizing the importance of upholding constitutional rights.
Wyatt also dismissed outrage over Weinstein’s appeal.
“The public must ease their personal feelings about Mr. Cosby and Mr. Weinstein and look at the lack of facts, evidence, and proof, without trying to ‘arm chair’ quarterback a person’s Constitutional Rights because that’s an injustice for all American Citizens and a disgrace to our democracy,” Wyatt said in a statement.
LEGAL WRANGLINGS
Geiss says her career took a nosedive after Weinstein, who maintains his innocence, attempted to pleasure himself in front of her while pitching a stage show at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008.
She “lost confidence” in the industry and her love of performing and fears if he is released, he would “1 million percent” attempt to abuse more women.
She stresses that the shock verdict has left her “retraumatized” and cannot believe the original judge in the New York trial jeopardized one of the most important trials in the history of the United States.
“I think of course there’s always going to be a worry,” Geiss, who now works in real estate on the West Coast, told The U.S. Sun when asked about the possibility of the California case also being investigated.
“I think when we started that case, we were already worried about it.”
She quickly rubbished any claims some of the “hundreds of victims” were only interested in financial compensation rather than speaking out against a “serial predator.”
Geiss claims if it was only about the money, she would have welcomed Weinstein’s advances and pocketed a multi-million deal for a three-film deal herself.
“These predators have so much money and so many people let it go by the wayside,” she continued. “And then to give nothing back to the victims is where I get really upset because a lot of the victims and myself included, have had health concerns.
“I’m type one diabetic now. I have many of the women who have breast cancer or another type of cancer or an autoimmune deficiency because of the stress of it and the sadness and the anger. Being treated like a piece of meat is horrific.
“And those who are raped, even worse. I think that that the victims do deserve something, and none of us ever started this for just the money, but I’m so sick and tired of people saying that that’s why we did it.”
RECURRING NIGHTMARE
For many of the women involved, rewatching the case unfold will be a nightmare, extremely tough to stomach.
Geiss, who has tirelessly worked with many of her fellow victims in the battle for compensation, fears that in places like Hollywood, money and fame trump all.
Together with celebrated Oscar-nominated songwriter Diane Warren, Geiss wrote The Right Girl, a musical inspired by Weinstein’s misdemeanors and the power of the #MeToo movement.
The pandemic halted the show in its tracks and although Geiss has rediscovered her creative spark, the fears of preferential treatment in Tinseltown refuse to disappear.
“If we were talking about a regular person, this wouldn’t be happening,” she conceded.
“From OJ to Cosby, if you have a lot of money (you have a chance of fighting against a decision), we’ve all seen it happen. But it’s really egregious this time, people are really appalled.”
Weinstein has always maintained his innocence, with his high-powered legal team insisting any sexual activity was consensual.
Lawyer Arthur Aidala, said the recent decision was a “victory for every criminal defendant in the state of New York” while continuing to insist his client remains in seriously ill health.
Aidala claimed Weinstein needed “immediate medical attention” earlier in the week and a “myriad of tests.”
Suspicious Geiss, however, refuses to believe everything she hears.
“Seeing him with a walker, come on, he knows how to rule the media,” she said. “He’s smart and knows how to pull at the heartstrings. I’m not here to judge his health but I do want people to understand that if he was free, I one million percent think he would do it again.
“This is part of his DNA. After 30 years, he’s not suddenly going to turn into Mother Theresa.”
Geiss, who gave birth to her daughter just six weeks before her involvement in Weinstein’s California court case, understands the legal technicalities that have led to the shock retrial.
Her father is a lawyer and she’s watched the likes of OJ Simpson and Cosby controversially win their own court battles over the years, yet the decision by the New York Court of Appeal remains staggering to her.
“What does this say about America’s judicial system?” she asked, before questioning whether the pain of reliving the nightmare for many of Weinstein’s alleged victims – Geiss believes there are 300 women who have been affected – will be too much to bear.
“It’s just so retraumatizing for everyone involved,” she said with a sigh. “I’ve heard other victims wanting to try him in other countries because, sadly he was so prolific. It will be interesting to see if that transpires.
“But all we can do is to keep talking about it, because it’s clearly not over.”
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