The most frustrating thing about the
scandal is that he hasn't faced any criminal charges. Sure, there have been some repercussions, after more than 50 women accused him of sexual harassment and assault. He's been fired from his production company, expelled from The Academy Of Arts and Sciences, and his wife, Georgina Chapman, is leaving him. Every day politicians and celebrities denounce him. He's turned from a famous movie mogul into a disgusting international punchline.
But where are the charges? Currently Harvey's the subject of criminal investigation in four cities - Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, New York and London. Out of all those cases, what's the hold up? Let's do this! It's not fair that he's out running free. In fact, Harvey recently called into the newsroom at Page Six, and was defiant. He swore to "fight these accusations" and claimed he was already "planning a comeback." Really? As what? The Captain of the Perverts Club, with
and Brett Ratner?
While it's easy to try Harvey in the court of public opinion, bringing him to actual court is complicated. In an article by The Los Angeles Times, criminal prosecutors and attorneys explain the challenges each jurisdiction faces. For many cases, the alleged misconduct happened years ago, or decades ago. Some are well outside the statue of limitations. For others, physical evidence might not exist, and it might not be possible to find witnesses. Also, Harvey's formidable legal team is ready for war, and will have an opportunity to present any exonerating evidence.
But there's some good news. The NYPD says they have a strong case to arrest Harvey for his latest sexual assault allegation: raping "Boardwalk Empire" star Paz de la Huerta twice.
The first incident happened in November 2010. Paz says she was at the bar, and Harvey offered to give her a ride home. But instead of just dropping her off, he insisted on coming inside for a drink. Paz told her story to Vanity Fair:
“Immediately when we got inside the house, he started to kiss me and I kind of brushed [him] away.
Then he pushed me onto the bed and his pants were down and he lifted up my skirt.
I felt afraid... It wasn’t consensual… It happened very quickly… He stuck himself inside me…
When he was done he said he’d be calling me. I kind of just laid on the bed in shock.”
Anybody else feel like taking a shower? Well, hold on, because it's about to get worse.
One month later, Harvey showed off up at Paz's apartment again, totally hammered. And once again, he talked her into letting him inside the building.
“I did say no, and when he was on top of me I said, ‘I don’t want to do this.’ He kept humping me and it was disgusting. He’s like a pig … He raped me."
What makes this case so different? This time there's corroborating material:
a letter from a therapist and a recording from a journalist confirming that she’s talked about the alleged rapes in the past. The leader of the investigation, Detective
Nicholas DiGaudio, is optimistic.
“I believe based on my interviews with Paz that from the NYPD standpoint, we have enough to make an arrest."
Obviously, all of these probes - actually, let's not use the word "probes" when talking about Harvey Weinstein. All of these
investigations
are still in their early stages. It's going to take time for the detectives to share information and build cases. But here's hoping we get some results, and justice is finally served. Better late than never.
