Trial in Los Angeles: Weinstein is on trial again

Former film producer Weinstein is now on trial in Los Angeles after being sentenced to 23 years in prison in New York. The 70-year-old is accused, among other things, of rape. His case sparked the #MeToo debate in 2017.

He’s back on trial: former film producer Harvey Weinstein. It is the second major lawsuit against him, this time in Los Angeles, where he has worked for decades. The allegations come from five women, there are a total of eleven charges, including sexual abuse of rape.

The trial comes five years after investigations by the New York Times and the New Yorker revealed abuses of power, systematic cover-ups and even blackmail. A Weinstein system that allowed the film magnate to sexually exploit women.

Thousands of people have reported sexual abuse online

In addition to the plaintiffs, dozens of women subsequently spoke out and reported similar incidents, including prominent actresses such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Selma Hayek, Lupita Nyong’o, and Uma Thurman. And it wasn’t just Weinstein who suddenly became the center of public and law enforcement attention: thousands of people reported sexual abuse online with the hashtag #MeToo.

But where is “MeToo” five years later? The results are difficult to measure, writes the “New York Times” newspaper. Looking at the court cases, a mixed picture emerges.

Sentenced in New York to 23 years in prison

Weinstein, who started the movement, was sentenced to 23 years in New York in 2020, a landmark sentence for victims of sexual abuse in the United States, District Attorney Cyrus Vance said at the time.

It was the first prominent judgment of the “MeToo” movement. Other high-profile evidence of the “#MeToo era” includes rehearsals from actor Bill Cosby and singer R. Kelly. R. Kelly has already been sentenced to 30 years in prison for molesting a minor. However, the ruling against Bill Cosby was overturned after three years due to a formal error.

US laws are designed to make jobs safer

Tarana Burke, who started the #MeToo hashtag in 2006, believes the movement has started something:

Five years after “MeToo”, sexual abuse remains a major problem and sensitivity to it has increased, especially in Hollywood. 22 states have passed laws to make workplaces safer. However, the Weinstein case also does not stop.

The feature film works on the revelations of the “New York Times”.

The feature film “She Said” by German director Maria Schrader, who is working on the revelations of the “New York Times”, will be released in November. The film could influence the jury, Weinstein’s lawyers had criticized. However, the process is expected to go as planned and take about two months.

If Weinstein were sentenced again in Los Angeles, his sentence could be increased again. However, Weinstein himself still hopes to be released. In August, a New York appeals court upheld his request to challenge the previous 2020 conviction.