Prosecutors Salivate at ‘No Evidence’ Precedent Established for Sexual Assault Cases After Weinstein Conviction
Shane Trejo
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As many cheer after predatory scumbag and sex pervert Harvey Weinstein was convicted of rape charges earlier this week, ambitious prosecutors are salivating at the precedent set by the case, which may be applied to individuals not as sleazy and well-connected as the former Hollywood mogul.
Weinstein was convicted of third-degree rape despite the fact that there was no physical evidence of any crimes taking place, the supposed victims maintained their relationships with him years after the incidents occurred, and the alleged crimes were not reported for many years after the fact. The flimsy evidence was bolstered by “expert testimony” from activist feminists telling the jury essentially to believe all women, no matter what.
Profit-seeking attorneys and heavy-handed prosecutors see a golden opportunity in the “no evidence” standard that the case has set moving forward.
“This is a new day,” Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said following Weinstein’s verdict. “Rape is rape whether the survivor reports within an hour, within a year or perhaps never. It’s rape despite the complicated dynamics of power and consent after an assault. It’s rape even if there is no physical evidence.”
“There’s always the fear of coming forward, you know, going through a trial, getting beat up and humiliated and then not getting that verdict. Now that they see it can be done, I think more people will come forward and definitely empower the movement,” said criminal defense attorney Richard Kaplan.
“Now there is a roadmap on how you can win this kind of case,” he added.
“I hope that prosecutors, all over this country, and all over the world, look at this case and realize that rape trials can be won,” said attorney Carrie Goldberg, who represented one of Weinstein’s accusers in court, “and that these aren’t just ‘he said, she said’ stories, but they’re actually crimes that are winnable and need to be brought.”
“This case challenges our notions of what is force in a sexual relationship, what is lack of consent in a sexual relationship,” said New York defense attorney Paul DerOhannesian, who specializes in sexual assault cases.
The Weinstein verdict, which is being hailed as a tremendous victory for justice by conservatives and liberals alike, may have ripped the lid off of Pandora’s box. This could be the opportunity that the #MeToo witch hunt uses to finish off due process and the presumption of innocence once and for all.
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