It’s a new trial that coincides almost to the day with the 5th anniversary of the #MeToo movement. Already sentenced in New York, where he has been serving a 23-year prison sentence for sexual assault and rape since 2020, Harvey Weinstein is this time on trial in Los Angeles in a trial that could prove important in the event of a victory for the fallen producer before the New York Court of Appeals, which accepted his appeal.
Harvey Weinstein faces 11 counts of allegedly raping and sexually assaulting five women at hotels in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles between 2004 and 2013. If convicted, Harvey Weinstein – who pleaded not guilty to all counts – could be sentenced to more than 100 additional years behind bars.
Selection of jurors
The new trial opened Monday in Los Angeles under the supervision of Judge Lisa Lench with jury selection, which is expected to last between one and two weeks, with closing arguments expected to start on October 24. Harvey Weinstein appeared in a Los Angeles courthouse in a wheelchair, wearing a dark blue suit and light blue tie. He is due to appear there for the next two months.
In total, nearly 90 women including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rosanna Arquette have accused Harvey Weinstein of harassment, sexual assault, or rape. But the statute of limitations has been exceeded in many of these cases, some of which date back to 1977. The ex-producer is also charged in the United Kingdom with sexual assaults which date back to 1996.
California governor’s wife among accusers
Among the five accusers – who will all appear in Los Angeles under the pseudonym “Jane Doe” – is Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of Democratic Governor of California Gavin Newsom, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“Like many other women, my client was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein during an alleged business meeting that turned out to be a trap,” her lawyer Elizabeth Fegan told the newspaper. “She intends to testify during her trial in order to obtain some form of justice for the victims and improve the condition of women,” she added. Film producer Siebel Newsom previously wrote about Weinstein’s behavior in a 2017 essay, but did not elaborate on the alleged assaults.
Immense influence
According to Mr. Weinstein’s lawyer, Mark Werksman, quoted by the Los Angeles Times, well-known personalities, seen “in films, in advertisements”, will testify during the trial. The former producer has always assured that all his accusers were consenting.
The allegations are “unproven, not credible and unsubstantiated,” Mark Werksman told reporters in July 2021, arguing that there was no forensic evidence or credible witnesses to back them up.
Mr. Weinstein’s retrial also coincides with the premiere of the film ‘She Said’, which will premiere next week at the New York Film Festival and traces the investigation by the two New York Times reporters into the grip and wrongdoings of the almighty producer.
Before his fall, his influence on Hollywood was immense. Over the years, films produced by Mr. Weinstein, such as Inglourious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino, received more than 300 Oscar nominations and 81 statuettes.