The 4 Most Troubling Facts About Harvey Weinstein’s New Lawyer
After several weeks of delays and extensions, the Harvey Weinstein criminal trial moved forward today with a procedural hearing in New York City, where attorneys from both sides discussed pre-trial issues, such as jury selection. Weinstein—who is being charged with five sex crimes, including allegations of sexual assault and rape—will begin his official trial on September 9.
Today, a state judge approved Weinstein’s request for a new defense team. Weinstein’s former lawyers were on hand to pass the torch: Ronald Sullivan and Jose Baez, the latter of whom also represented Casey Anthony, were granted permission to leave the case today, reportedly departing due to public scrutiny and “not getting along” with their client. (Baez wrote the judge a letter last month, writing, “Mr. Weinstein has engaged in behavior that makes this representation unreasonably difficult to carry out effectively and has insisted upon taking actions with which I have fundamental disagreements.”) Now, Weinstein has two new lawyers on the case: Donna Rotunno and Damon Cheronis. Both lawyers are based in Chicago, and only joined the case two weeks ago—an unusual switch-up, given the looming trial date is less than two months away.
The new defense came out swinging: Rotunno began her new post by choosing to condemn the #MeToo movement and its role in “railroading” her client, who, lest we forget, outside of the trial, has been accused of sexual assault by several prominent Hollywood actresses and many others in the entertainment industry.
While the official trial will showcase just how these two new defense lawyers will approach Weinstein’s case—he has pleaded not guilty to all charges—Rotunno's anti-#MeToo comments have been making the rounds online. Before the trial gets underway, here, four things to know about Weinstein's newest defense lawyer.
1. She’s Made a Career Defending Men Accused of Sexual Misconduct
In the past 15 years, Rotunno has handled over 40 sexual misconduct-related cases, according to Chicago magazine's 2018 profile of the lawyer. That makes her one of the most in-demand female attorneys in this particular niche. “Any high-profile sex case you hear on the news in Chicago, odds are I’ve gotten a phone call,” Rotunno said in the profile. She has represented a wide range of men who have been accused of sexual crimes, including former Bears cornerback Shaun Gayle, whom Rotunno represented during the investigation of the murder of his girlfriend; she has also represented Mohammad Abdullah Saleem, a suburban Islamic leader who was accused of molesting a student and a female employee.
2. She Began the Weinstein Case by Condemning #MeToo
During Rotunno’s brief remarks at the Weinstein hearing today, the lawyer claimed that her client has been “railroaded” by the #MeToo movement, adding at a post-hearing news conference, “The emotion of this case has taken over. There is a truth you have not reported on.” This is the first time she has discredited the movement, which highlights experiences and stories of sexual assault or violence. “I’m not a woman who has ever subscribed to it. I believe women are responsible for the choices that they make,” she said.
3. She Views Her Gender as an Asset In Her Job
Rotunno said she can cross-examine subjects with “more venom” because she is a woman—a tactic she will presumably put into effect with the Weinstein case. “I have the ability to get away with a lot more in a courtroom cross-examining a female than a male lawyer does,” Rotunno said. “He may be an excellent lawyer, but if he goes at that woman with the same venom that I do, he looks like a bully. If I do it, nobody even bats an eyelash. And it’s been very effective.”
4. She Is Aggressive and a “Bulldog in the Courtroom”
Rotunno's former client Stanley Stallworth, a lawyer and former partner at Sidley Austin, has described her as “a bulldog in the courtroom.” He added: “She is extremely well prepared, and she is an aggressive defense lawyer who brings her A-game to the courtroom every day.” Those who know both Rotunno and her partner, Cheronis, have also said they are “not surprised” the two lawyers took Weinstein’s case.
Originally Appeared on Vogue
