Annabella Sciorra hailed the guilty verdict against ex-mogul Harvey Weinstein, which included a “criminal sexual act” and third-degree rape, on Monday.
Weinstein was also acquitted on two counts of predatory sexual assault that centered on Sciorra’s testimony — indicating that the jurors did not believe, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Weinstein had raped and assaulted Sciorra at her Gramercy Park apartment in the early 1990s.
“My testimony was painful but necessary,” she said in a statement. “I spoke for myself and with the strength of the 80-plus victims of Harvey Weinstein in my heart. While we hope for continued righteous outcomes that bring absolute justice, we can never regret breaking the silence. For in speaking truth to power we pave the way for a more just culture, free of the scourge of violence against women.”
The jury has repeatedly asked for read-back and for access to exhibits pertaining to Sciorra’s claim that Weinstein raped her at her apartment in the early 1990s.
“The Sopranos” actor testified on Jan. 23 in detail about the incident, which took place shortly after she appeared in Miramax’s 1993 film “The Night We Never Met.” After a dinner in New York in 1993 or 1994, Weinstein gave her a ride home and dropped her off at her Gramercy Park apartment. She testified that, roughly 30 minutes later, he unexpectedly showed up at her apartment door, pushing it open and barging his way through.
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Weinstein then grabbed Sciorra around her collar above her chest, the actor testified, and he shoved her onto the bed. “I was trying to get him off of me, I was punching him, I was kicking him,” she said. “I was just trying to get him away from me. … He put my hands over my head to put them back and he got on top of me and he raped me.”
“He put his penis inside my vagina and he raped me,” Sciorra continued, through tears. “I was trying to fight, but I couldn’t fight anymore because he had my hands locked. At a certain point he stopped, and he came out of me and he ejaculated on top of me on my leg in the nightgown.”