HARVEY WEINSTEIN: Now Facing Rape Accusations

Oh how 72 hours changes everything. A few days, Harvey Weinsteinjust seemed like a gross guy, but now, it's getting worse. Before, we were dealing with "simple" accusations of sexual harassment, but now, thanks to independent journalist Ronan Farrow, we're talking rape. Farrow as been investigating the movie exec for the past 10 months and he claims to have spoken to three women who accuse Weinstein of rape. 

Enter Italian actress Asia Argento, who alleges that in 1997, she was brought to what she was told was an industry party, but led to a hotel room that was empty except for Weinstein. After the exec repeatedly asked for a massage while wearing a robe, she gave in. Argento also claims that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her, despite her repeated pleas for him to stop. Over the next five years, Asia says they did have consensual relations, but says that she felt “obliged to submit to his sexual advances."

Ambra Battilana Gutierrez claims that in 2015, she met with Weinstein under the guise of a business meeting. Instead, the exec asked her if her breasts were real before lunging at her, groping her breasts and attempting to put a hand up her skirt while she protested. Gutierrez spoke to the New York Police Department and even wore a wire in hopes of catching Weinstein admitting to his crime. And while he seemed to own up to that - and want more - in the end, the NYPD decided not to press any charges. 

Farrow says he also spoke to 16 current and former Weinstein Company employees, who say they have either witnessed or knew about Weinstein's behavior in the workplace.

  • Meanwhile, Weinstein's list of accusers keeps growing. Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie, and Rosanna Arquette are the latest actresses to claim the producer harassed them. Paltrow said back when she was 22 Weinstein put his hands on her and suggested they head to the bedroom for massages. She declined, and told her then-boyfriend Brad Pitt who reportedly confronted Weinstein. After that, Weinstein threatened her not to tell anyone else about his come-on.
  • Arquette says she had a similar experience, saying Weinstein made unwanted advances on her in a hotel room in the late 90s. And Jolie says that she "had a bad experience with Harvey Weinstein in my youth, and as a result, chose never to work with him again and warn others when they did."

Mira Sorvino says she also had a run in with Harvey in the 90s. Much like his previous encounters, Mira claims Harvey massaged her shoulders and tried to "get more physical." Nothing else happened that night, but the actress says she was "freaked out" when Weinstein called her a few weeks later and said he was coming over late at night to discuss marketing the movie "Mighty Aphrodite." Mira had a friend pretend to be her boyfriend and when she told Harvey he was coming, he left. Mira maintains her rebuffing Weinstein surely lost her work, but she also says there are more "bombshells to come' - though she wouldn't give any more details. 

  • And while Weinstein's wife Georgina Chapman may have been described as standing by his side on Monday, she's apparently had enough. After two children, a decade of marriage, and now rape allegations, Chapman has confirmed she's leaving him. “My heart breaks for all the women who have suffered tremendous pain because of these unforgivable actions," the designer explains in a statement. "I have chosen to leave my husband. Caring for my young children is my first priority and I ask the media for privacy at this time."
  • As for Weinstein himself, he "unequivocally denies" any rape allegations. He also denies there was any retaliation towards women who turned him down. "Mr. Weinstein has begun counseling, has listened to the community and is pursuing a better path," the statement from his rep offers. "Mr. Weinstein is hoping that, if he makes enough progress, he will be given a second chance.”

Source: The New Yorker


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