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Harvey Weinstein accuser Lauren Sivan blasts media mogul’s overturned sex conviction: ‘Pulling a scab off the wounds’

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Published April 25, 2024
Updated April 25, 2024, 11:12 a.m. ET

The television reporter who accused disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of masturbating in front of her said the decision to overturn his New York rape conviction on Thursday is like “pulling a scab off the wounds” of the victims.

Lauren Sivan, a former anchor for News12 Long Island and Fox 11, said she and other Weinstein victims were shocked and hurt at the New York State Court of Appeals ruling.

Lauren Sivan, who has accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct, attends a press conference.
Lauren Sivan, who has accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct, attends a press conference. Getty Images
Harvey Weinstein seen during the trial.
Harvey Weinstein during the trial.

“I had absolutely no idea this was going to happen,” Sivan told The Post.”I don’t think anyone was expecting this. I woke up to over a hundred messages on my phone.” 

Sivan, who speaks regularly with other Weinstein survivors in a messaging group, said they believed they had closed a dark chapter of their lives following his 2020 sexual assault conviction. 

“I think we [were] all a little nervous the trial wouldn’t come out in our favor and we were all so grateful when it did, so this is a bit of a kick in the head,” she said of the recent ruling. 

“This is like pulling a scab off the wounds,” she added. “ A lot of us are worried who will have to testify again. It’s traumatic.”

Sivan, now a reporter on KABC Talk Radio in Los Angeles, spoke out about her own traumatic experience with Weinstein during interviews in 2017, accusing the former Hollywood mogul of exposing himself in front of her. 

Sivan said that she was anchoring for News12 in her 20s when she met with Weinstein inside Manhattan’s Cipriani Italian, according to her first interview with the HuffPost.    

Although she was initially thrilled as a local reporter speaking to a huge Hollywood producer, she said the dream quickly turned to a nightmare when Weinstein offered to show her a tour of the restaurant. 

Sivan alleged that Weinstein cornered her and tried to kiss her, and when she rebuffed his advances, he exposed himself and masterbated in front of her, telling her to “Just stand there and be quiet.”  

Harvey Weinstein's sex crime conviction overturned: Key facts

  • Harvey Weinstein’s New York rape conviction was overturned in a 4-3 ruling by New York state’s highest court.
  • The New York State Court of Appeals found that Manhattan Judge James Burke “erroneously” allowed testimony from three women whose allegations weren’t connected to the case.
  • The 72-year-old has been serving a 23-year sentence in a New York prison following his conviction on charges of criminal sex act for forcibly performing oral sex and raping two women.
  • Weinstein will remain behind bars because of a February 2023 conviction, sentencing him to 16 years in prison for raping an Italian model in 2013.

After sharing her story, Sivan told The Post that she’s met “nearly 100 women” with similar stories about Weinstein. 

“We still live in our truth,” she said. “And we know what happened.”   

Despite the shock of the overturned ruling, Sivan says Weinstein, 72, is still on the hook for his criminal conviction in LA. 

The former Hollywood magnate was sentenced in February 2023 to 16 years in prison in the Los Angeles criminal case for raping an Italian mode at a film festival in 2013.

“He’s not free and he’s going to be in jail until he’s 90, so I think we’re all pretty comfortable with that,” Sivan said. “But this goes to show you money can buy you things.”