Harvey Weinstein Lawyer on Guilty Verdict: “He Took It Like a Man”

Donna Rotunno, Harvey Weinstein’s top lawyer, said it was a “bittersweet day” after her client was found guilty on two sexual assault accounts.

“Obviously, this is a bittersweet day,” Rotunno told reporters outside the court building. “We are disappointed. We knew we came in and we were down 35-0 on the day that we started this trial.”

Rotunno continued: “The jurors came in knowing everything they could know about this case. We couldn’t find a juror who had never heard of Harvey Weinstein.”

She said that Weinstein’s team will “absolutely be appealing” the verdict. “The fight is not over,” she added.

Weinstein was remanded into custody after the verdict came down. “It is absolutely horrible for me to watch my client be taken into custody,” she said. “We don’t feel good about that at all.”

Asked about her client’s demeanor, she said: “Harvey is very strong. Harvey is unbelievably strong. He took it like a man. He knows that we will continue to fight for him and knows that this is not over.”

Rotunno later issued a statement regarding the verdict, which read, “While he was not convicted on the most serious charges, we are disappointed in the verdict and will be filing an appeal.”

“There are issues in this trial that were extremely troubling,” she continued, “and they prejudiced Mr. Weinstein’s ability to have his case fairly judged. These will be addressed to a higher court. In the meantime, we are working on assuring that Mr. Weinstein is brought to Rikers’ Island ‘s North infirmary unit (NIU) at the Anna M Kross center complex or in protective custody so that he can get the best medical supervision and care possible.”

When speaking with reporters outside the courthouse, Weinstein attorney Arthur Aidala added that his client was “shocked but stoic at the same time” while listening to the verdict.

“All he kept saying over and over again was, ‘I’m innocent. I’m innocent. How could this happen in America? I’m innocent. I’m innocent,'” he said. “The evidence was not so powerful. Jurors normally don’t deliberate for five days, whatever it is, over a weekend. So it’s really seven days. So it wasn’t that there was such overpowering evidence.”

Weinstein, who was remanded into custody against the protests of his lawyers, will be sentenced on March 11.

Feb. 24, 12:50 p.m. Updated to include Aidala’s statement.