The “Me Too” movement was not a passing trend. Despite the time that has passed and ongoing attempts to undermine it, this global reckoning against abuse continues to deliver results. On Wednesday, a Manhattan jury found Harvey Weinstein guilty of a felony sex crime — his second conviction in New York in just over five years. The verdict was reported by The New York Times, which in 2017 first exposed allegations against Weinstein and helped ignite a cultural shift still underway.

Weinstein was convicted of committing a criminal sexual act against Miriam Haley, a former production assistant, for an assault that took place in 2006. In the same trial, he was acquitted of a second charge, and the jury could not reach a verdict on a third accusation of third-degree rape. Jurors are set to return to deliberate further on that final count. The conviction — even if partial — is significant: the charge carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison, The New York Times reported.

This latest development follows the overturning of Weinstein’s original 2020 conviction due to procedural errors. In response, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg opted to retry the case, this time adding a new charge and avoiding the mistakes of the first trial, which had allowed testimony from women not directly tied to the charges at hand.

Though structured differently, the retrial presented a familiar story: young women, vulnerable to the power of a Hollywood producer, abused under the pretense of career advancement. According to The New York Times, prosecutors portrayed Weinstein as “a high-powered and influential movie executive with few limits on what he felt he could do.” Through the testimonies of Haley, Jessica Mann, and Kaja Sokola — all aspiring actresses or models at the time of the assaults — the court heard again how Weinstein used his status to exploit and silence.

Mexican actress Salma Hayek was one of the many women who came forward in 2017 with accounts of Weinstein’s behavior. Her testimony, published in The New York Times, described in painful detail the harassment she endured during the filming of Frida. Though her case was not part of the criminal proceedings, her voice helped shape the cultural moment that made these trials possible. For many, this week’s conviction reaffirms that women like Hayek, Haley, Mann, and Sokola were right to speak up.

This trial, like the first, was not without friction. As The New York Times noted, deliberations among jurors were intense — with reports of “yelling and screaming,” and even one juror telling another, “I’ll see you outside one day.” Despite the discord, they delivered a conviction for one of the three charges and will continue their work on the others.

After the verdict, Haley expressed gratitude and relief, telling reporters: “It’s just a relief all around, and I’m happy that I showed up despite some intimidation tactics by the defense.” Sokola, who was not part of the 2020 trial but joined this case after the original conviction was overturned, also commented: “I truly hope from the bottom of my heart that standing here right now will give courage to others to speak up.”

For those who assumed the “Me Too” movement had faded or lost its influence, this new conviction serves as a firm rebuttal. Legal challenges, cross-examinations, and public doubt have not silenced the pursuit of justice. Each woman who takes the stand brings with her not only her personal experience but the weight of all who came before and those still afraid to speak. And each time the system responds, it reminds the world that justice — while slow and imperfect — can still be served.

The Weinstein case is not over. But its impact is already irreversible.