The Angels.— A prosecutor in Harvey Weinstein Sexual Assault Trial He told jurors on Monday that the accusers who testify will tell eerily similar stories of themselves as young aspiring women cornered in hotel rooms by a man who was Hollywood’s definition of power at the time.
“Each of these women came forward independently and none of them knew each other,” Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson said during his opening statement at the Weinstein trial in Los Angeles.
The former film mogul 70 years old, already serving a 23-year sentence in New Yorkis charged with multiple counts of rape and sexual assault in California.
The 70-year-old former film mogul, who is already serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault in New York, faces several charges.
The 70-year-old former film mogul, who is already serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault in New York, faces several charges.
The 70-year-old former film mogul, who is already serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault in New York, faces several charges.
The defense responded in its opening statement that the incidents either did not occur or were consensual sex that women have redefined in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
Weinstein, prosecutor Thompson said, dominated his status as “the most powerful man in Hollywood” over them, speaking of the A-list actresses whose careers he had made before becoming aggressive.
Thompson played a video presentation with composite photos of the women who will testify and quotes from previous testimonies. Most were aspiring actresses. One was an aspiring screenwriter who thought she was going to present her with a script.
All will testify that Weinstein ignored clear signs of their lack of consent, the prosecutor said, including “their shaking bodies, their crying, their turning away, their ‘no’ answer.” Four women Weinstein is not accused of assaulting in the case, they will also testify about what she did to them to prove her propensity for such acts, Thompson said.
Weinstein’s attorney Mark Werksman told the jury that what Weinstein did with women was considered acceptable “transactional” behavior in Hollywood, where young women sought roles and other perks by having sex with the powerful movie mogul. .
“You will learn that sex was a commodity in Hollywood,” Werksman said.
TV producer Harvey Weinstein and director Roman Polanski both won Oscars and were charged with criminal prosecution. To see more from Telemundo, visit https://www.nbc.com/networks/telemundo
TV producer Harvey Weinstein and director Roman Polanski both won Oscars and were charged with criminal prosecution. To see more from Telemundo, visit https://www.nbc.com/networks/telemundo
TV producer Harvey Weinstein and director Roman Polanski both won Oscars and were charged with criminal prosecution. To see more from Telemundo, visit https://www.nbc.com/networks/telemundo
Those who accuse Weinstein of assault should only be identified as Jane Doe in court, but they include Jennifer Siebel Newsomactress and documentary director married to California governor Gavin Newsom.
Siebel Newsom had not yet met Newsom and was an aspiring actress in 2005 when, according to her indictment, Weinstein raped her in a Beverly Hills hotel.
Without using his name, both sides said he would testify. Werksman called her a very important California town. “
“She became a major victim in the #MeToo movement,” he added, “otherwise she would be just another idiot who slept with Harvey Weinstein to get on in Hollywood.”
In a statement to the Associated Press, Elizabeth Fegen, who represents Siebel Newsom and two other Weinstein accusers, called the comments “despicable, desperate, dishonest.”
“The defense is cruelly engaging in misogynistic insults and shame on the victims, but the survivors will not be deterred,” he added.
The film will tell the story of journalists who discovered the sexual abuse of the convicted producer.
The film will tell the story of journalists who discovered the sexual abuse of the convicted producer.
The film will tell the story of journalists who discovered the sexual abuse of the convicted producer.
Werksman said Siebel Newsom and several other women in the case had contact and even had intercourse with Weinstein in the years following the meetings, often referring to him fondly.
In an effort to avoid this strategy, Thompson told the jury that he would be listening to a psychologist who would debunk the myths about rape. The key between them is the idea that a victim of sexual assault would no longer have contact with her abuser.
Werksman said Weinstein’s consensus acts were transformed in October 2017 with “the asteroid called the #MeToo movement”.
“It became the hot radioactive center,” Werksman said. “He is the Chernobyl of Hollywood.”
She said suddenly there was “a new word” for women, “victim”.
The PA generally does not name people who claim to have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly. Siebel Newsom’s identity was first reported by the Los Angeles Times and her attorney told the AP and other media that she is among the women accused of sexually assaulting Weinstein that she will testify during the trial. .
The first of Weinstein’s accusations to testify, a model and actress who lived and worked in Italy when she met him at a Los Angeles film festival in 2013, said she was surprised to find him knocking on her hotel room door after interacted. with him briefly that same night.
She said she was more confused than scared at first, so she let Weinstein in, but got more aggressive. She said she eventually forced her to do oral sex on him.
“I was crying, drowning,” the woman said.
She got more and more emotional on the stand until she started sobbing so much that she couldn’t speak anymore.
He was found guilty of rape and sexual assault.
By the end of the day in court, Judge Lisa Lench has called for a break until Tuesday morning, when she will return to the stands.
Earlier in the day, Weinstein was ushered into court dressed in a suit and sat next to his lawyers.
The confusion arose when Thompson, during his opening statement, did not mention an accuser who was due to testify since last week. Weinstein was charged with 11 counts in total, four of which involved the woman who was not named. The district attorney’s office did not explain why the woman was not referenced.
Outside the courtroom, Weinstein’s attorney said the charges had not been dismissed.
“People left her out of her presentation, so I didn’t mention her,” he said. “However, it is a conspicuous absence in her presentation of her.”
