Dr. Barbara Ziv the forensic psychologist who played a key role in the conviction of Harvey Weinstein by testifying as a witness in his trial was recently hospitalized after being hit by a car.
Not much is known about her condition or the circumstances of the incident aside from the fact that she was hit by a car while crossing the street and is in the hospital with multiple broken bones.
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Law and Crime noted that there is no evidence that Ziv’s injuries have anything to do with her role as a witness in the Weinstein trial, but the timing and the fact that Weinstein is notorious for his ruthless intimidation tactics makes the incident suspicious. Weinstein’s reputation led many potential witnesses and even journalists to fear for their lives when dealing with his case.
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Ziv took the stand last month as an expert witness in the case against Weinstein where she gave in-depth psychological analysis about why his victims did not initially report the crimes and why survivors of sexual assault will often continue friendships or business relationships with their attackers, especially when that person is extremely powerful and influential as Weinstein was. Ziv said in court:
“As devastating as sexual assault is, most individuals think, ‘Ok, I can put it behind me. I can move on with my life. I don’t want it to get worse. I don’t want this person who sexually assaulted me to ruin my friendships or put my job in jeopardy. I am just going to put it in a box and forget what happened. I don’t want it to get worse, but they can’t.“
Ziv also testified as an expert witness in the case against Bill Cosby.
