Onetime aspiring actress Dawn Dunning and New York actress and model Tarale Wulff, who were key prosecution witnesses that helped convict Harvey Weinstein on rape and criminal sexual assault in March 2020, came out in support of New York State penal law reforms to define the meaning of consent in sexual crime cases on Tuesday.
“By applying consent in general laws, we will make it clear that the same consent that protects your property protects your body,” Dunning told a press conference in New York City after New York Assembly member Rebecca Seawright unveiled Bill #A6540, which would define consent in that state’s general laws.
Under the Seawright proposal, consent will be defined as “freely given, knowledgeable and informed agreement… obtained without the use of malice such as forcible compulsion, duress, coercion deception, fraud, concealment, or artifice.” Dunning, who provided supporting evidence of Weinstein’s alleged pattern of behavior as a sex crime offender, recalled the trial jury asked Judge James Burke for a definition of consent and were told they needed to use their commonsense.
