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Rotunno took the case in June 2019, two years
after dozens of allegations against Weinstein fueled the #MeToo
movement, in which hundreds of women accused powerful men in
business and politics of sexual harassment or assault. Millions
of people used the hashtag "#MeToo" to share their stories on
social media and Hollywood celebrities began the "Times Up"
campaign to fight sexual misconduct in the workplace.
"In a case where multiple women will be taking the stand to
testify, it's a different dynamic when you have a female
involved in the defense," Rotunno told Reuters.
Legal experts and Rotunno herself said her gender might prompt
jurors to view her more favorably when she cross-examines
Weinstein's accusers.
"She may be able to question the witness in a way that comes
across as more empathetic, while a male lawyer may come across
as cold," said defense lawyer Steven Greenberg, who said he has
known Rotunno for roughly two decades.
Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting two
women in New York and faces a two month jury trial. With jury
selection underway in Manhattan this week, Rotunno has appeared
each day at Weinstein's side, unflinching in the face of
flashing cameras.
Rotunno said she can be tougher in cross-examination than a male
attorney without coming across as a "bully," and that factor
could be an advantage.
She said, however, her tactic is not to intimidate, and her
gender is just one strength she brings to the defense.
"I don’t raise my voice," she said. "I’m not there to embarrass
anyone, I’m not there to shame anyone."
Some critics disagree.
Rosanna Arquette, an actress who has said she resisted unwanted
sexual advances by Weinstein, accused Rotunno of blaming victims
after Rotunno said in an ABC News interview last month that
women should take responsibility for their actions.
"If you don't want to be a victim, don't go to the hotel room,"
Rotunno told ABC News.
In court on Monday, assistant district attorney Joan Illuzzi
accused Rotunno of "degrading and humiliating" one of the
prosecution's witnesses in an interview with CNN earlier this
month. Rotunno said that was not her intent.
If the jury perceives Rotunno as aggressive, it could hurt
Weinstein's case, said defense attorney Michael Bachner.
"Just because you’re a woman doesn’t mean you can beat up in a
way the jury finds offensive," he said, adding that an
attorney's skill and character will matter more to jurors than
gender.
A former prosecutor, Rotunno has represented some 40 defendants
accused of sexual assault since she opened her own firm in
Chicago in 2005, she said.
Weinstein has cycled through several high-profile lawyers since
his indictment in 2018, and one said Weinstein's behavior made
the job "unreasonably difficult." Rotunno, the first woman to
lead his defense, said she finds Weinstein "very easy to work
with."
Her clients have included Senegalese fashion designer Elhadji
Gueye and Stanley Stallworth, a former partner at Chicago law
firm Sidley Austin, who were both accused of rape and acquitted.
Rotunno said she does not support the #MeToo movement because it
can unfairly sway public opinion against defendants.
Her belief that unproven allegations and media scrutiny had
eroded Weinstein's right to a fair trial motivated her to take
the case, she said.
"I knew that being a woman at this sort of crossroads in history
with MeToo and Times Up, I knew that my role in it would be
different than that of a male lawyer," Rotunno told Reuters.
"People say well wait, you’re going against your gender or how
dare you. But to me, there’s something bigger than our gender
and that’s our rights."
(Reporting by Gabriella Borter; editing by Noeleen Walder and
Grant McCool)
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