Harvey Weinstein Will Turn to the New York Police on Friday Following Rape Charges

Hollywood Mogul- Harvey Weinstein is expected to surrender to New York Police on Friday on charges of sexual misconduct and rape charges. Two separate women have laid charges on him, one of them is an aspiring actress- Lucia Evans.

This would be the first time that Weinstein has been charged since the accusations emerged. Though the Mogul has been hit with various allegations such as rape and sexual assault, he has denied non-consensual sex with any woman. The ‘Harvey Weinstein’ case had also caused the ‘Me Too’ movement to take shape globally to magnify the problem of ‘sexual harassment’ all over the world. Weinstein will face allegations brought by actor Lucia Evans. So far his lawyer- Benjamin Brafman hasn’t commented anything on Weinstein turning himself in.

Last year in November, New York Police said that they were investigating allegations of rape made by actress Paz de la Huerta. Her allegations are not part of the charges that are expected to be filed, yet she is ready to testify against him. “I think he belongs in jail,” she said. These allegations have destroyed the long and successful career of Weinstein that he enjoyed in Hollywood, all these years. Among Hollywood’s famous female actors who publicly accused Weinstein were Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow. Besides them, there were other top figures in the industry including organizers of ‘Oscars’ who condemned him and his acts. Weinstein was also fired from his production company last year which later filed for bankruptcy.

Lucia Evans makes a formal complaint

Lucia Evans who is an aspiring actress and also a marketing consultant told ‘The New Yorker’ last October that Weinstein assaulted her in his Manhattan office in 2004. Evans revealed the Weinstein approached her at Cipriani Upstairs club just before her senior year in college. He told her to meet him at his office regarding career opportunities and that’s where he sexually assaulted her.

After the publication of this story, police officials were trying to get in touch with Evans to convince her to give a formal complaint. One of the officials considered her to be a “highly credible witness”. Even though they tried to make Evans comfortable it took some time for the case to move forward. In an interview given to ‘The New Yorker’ on Thursday, 36 years old Lucia Evans said that she struggled with the decision to make a formal complaint against the producer. Even though she was proud to be a part of a movement against Weinstein initially, fear soon gripped her. She grappled with questions like “How it is going to affect your life, your family, your friends?” Nonetheless, she changed her mind. “At a certain point, you have to think about the greater good of humanity, of womankind,” she told Ronan Farrow of ‘The New Yorker’.

 

Of her unfortunate ordeal with Weinstein Evans said “I know how this has changed my life for the worse. How he took away my self-esteem and personal power. And knowing I can take it back, and stop him from doing that to another woman, I couldn’t let that go.”