An aspiring actress from Long Island is among the half dozen women who are testifying against Harvey Weinstein at the movie producer’s rape trial that got underway this week in Manhattan court.
Tarale Wulff is one of four women who are testifying to show a pattern of behavior while the charges of predatory sexual assault and criminal sexual act Weinstein is facing stem from incidents involving two other women. Wulff was allegedly victimized by Weinstein at the disgraced movie mogul’s apartment, where she went hoping to get hired, but never told anyone about it.
“She simply did what she learned to do as a child,” Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Meghan Hast said, according to CNN. “She tried to forget and move on, put on a brave face and pretend that nothing happened.”
Wulff is one of about 100 women who’ve alleged that Weinstein sexually abused or raped them. His case was the catalyst of the #MeToo movement in which women increasingly began coming forward two years ago with allegations against men who used their positions of power as leverage over women who they sexually abused or raped.
Wulff met Weinstein in 2015 when Wulff was a waitress at Cipriani Upstairs in Manhattan, where he allegedly masturbated in front of her after pulling her onto a rooftop terrace. The allegation is similar to that of another woman with local ties who is not testifying at the trial.
Lauren Sivan, a former reporter for News 12 Long Island, has alleged that Weinstein masturbated in front of her in the basement of Socialista, another Manhattan restaurant, after she rejected his advances.
Weinstein is currently free on $2 million bail. He potentially faces up to life in prison, if convicted of the top charge. His attorneys maintain that his sexual relations were all consensual. He also faces similar charges in Los Angeles.
