– Verdict’s in. In an era of #MeToo backlash, with hyper-masculinity ruling from Washington, D.C. to Silicon Valley, the retrial of Harvey Weinstein could serve as a kind of litmus test—would his guilty verdict hold up in 2025?
Yesterday, a jury found the former Hollywood producer and convicted sexual predator guilty on the top charge he faced in New York—but acquitted him of the second and failed to reach a verdict on the third.
Three women—former production assistant Miriam Haley, former model Kaja Sokola, and Jessica Mann, who aspired to become an actress—brought claims forward against Weinstein. These weren’t the most headline-grabbing of Weinstein’s dozens of reported offenses—no celebrities involved—but they were what ultimately brought him to justice in 2020 (as did a trial in Los Angeles, which Weinstein is appealing).
Weinstein’s attorneys were counting on the vastly different cultural moment we are in to protect the ex-mogul. As the New York Times put it, his lawyers bet that the “#MeToo movement had waned enough to cast doubt on the motives and credibility of his accusers.” Attorney Arthur Aidala previously said that the women who accused Weinstein were “were trying to take advantage of [him]”—because of the impact of the #MeToo movement. Weinstein has continued to deny the allegations against him.
While accusations against Weinstein sparked the #MeToo movement, they weren’t its sum-total. The movement led to the passage of the Adult Survivors Act, which allowed victims of years-old abuse to come forward—including musician Cassie, leading to Diddy’s ongoing trial today.
The jury is expected to return today to deliberate on the third charge. Whatever the outcome, #MeToo is bigger than Weinstein—but the movement can still count his partial verdict as a measured victory during a hostile political moment.
Emma Hinchliffe
emma.hinchliffe@fortune.com
The Most Powerful Women Daily newsletter is Fortune’s daily briefing for and about the women leading the business world. Today’s edition was curated by Nina Ajemian. Subscribe here.
ALSO IN THE HEADLINES
- Moving from Mexico. Mary Barra’s General Motors will invest $4 billion into moving some of its vehicle production to the U.S. over the next two years, as it prepares for tariff impact. The automaker will now be able to make over 2 million vehicles annually in the U.S. AP
- Pause on play. With a new rule from the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), players can pause their rankings while they undergo fertility treatments like egg or embryo freezing. WTA CEO Portia Archer said the group is “committed to supporting WTA players as they navigate and balance the choices associated with career and family.” CNBC
- App alternatives. With data at risk of being collected—and sold—by private companies, experts in the U.K. are calling on public health groups to develop alternatives to the commercial period-tracking apps currently on the market. This data harvesting could place women’s job prospects at risk or impact their access to abortion. Guardian
- VC billionaire. Theresia Gouw is the first female venture capitalist to become a billionaire in the U.S. Gouw, who has an estimated net worth of $1.2 billion, is a founding partner at Acrew Capital and was previously at Accel, where she invested in an early-stage Facebook. Forbes
MOVERS AND SHAKERS
Capital City Bank named Bethany Corum president. She is the first female president in the bank's history and previously served as COO.
Taco John’s named Jackie Secor COO. She most recently served as SVP of operations and training at GoTo Foods.
NTT Data Business Solutions appointed Nicola Czymek-Lauer as CFO. Most recently, she was the company’s head of global finance and EVP.
Kajabi, a commerce platform for entrepreneurs, appointed Allie Fernando as VP of marketing. She was previously the company’s director of partnerships and community.
GoPro appointed Emily Culp to its board of directors. Culp is chief brand and strategy officer at BodyHealth.
ON MY RADAR
Kelly Loeffler, a Trump cabinet appointee who regularly appears on Newsmax, has quiet financial ties to its parent company Fortune
Misogyny in the metaverse: Is Mark Zuckerberg’s dream world a no-go area for women? Guardian
Tanzania’s first female leader championed human rights. Now she’s turning to repression Wall Street Journal
PARTING WORDS
“Besides hypnotherapy, I Lego so hard.”
— Cofounder and CEO of Eventbrite Julia Hartz on how she unwinds from work
