Warning: The story below contains graphic allegations of sexual assault.
A prosecutor at Harvey Weinstein’s second criminal trial opened the proceedings by laying out the allegations of sexual crimes faced by the former producer.
Opening arguments started on Monday (24 October) in Los Angeles after a two-week jury selection process during which nine men and three women were picked to rule on Weinstein’s fate. Weinstein was indicted on 11 charges of rape and sexual assault in Los Angeles and has pleaded not guilty.
Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson told jurors they will hear from eight women who allege Weinstein sexually assaulted them during his time as a powerful film producer in Hollywood.
Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence after being convicted of third-degree rape and a criminal sex act in New York in 2020. An appeal is underway in that case. Weinstein was extradited to Los Angeles in July last year for this new, separate trial. He has denied all allegations of non-consensual sex.
According to Reuters, Weinstein sat in the courtroom on Monday in a dark suit and tie, and occasionally shook his head while Thompson spoke.
Thompson provided jurors with graphic details and quotes from women who allege Weinstein invited them to hotel rooms for purported business meetings between 1991 and 2015.
“He was trying to keep his penis in my mouth,” Thompson quoted one woman as saying.
He quoted another as saying Weinstein undressed her and fondled her breast while masturbating.
Alleged incidents involving four of the women are the basis of the charges against Weinstein. The other four women, who had encounters with Weinstein outside of Los Angeles, will be presented by prosecutors to try to establish a pattern of behaviour.
One of Weinstein’s accusers is Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker who is married to California Governor Gavin Newsom. She will testify that Weinstein allegedly raped her in 2005 when she was trying to build a career as an actor, Thompson said.
“Seventeen years ago, when she met the defendant in 2005, she was a powerless actor trying to make her way in Hollywood,” Thompson told the court.
None of the women spoke publicly at the time, Thompson said, because they worried Weinstein “could crush their careers.” He showed the jury movie posters of Pulp Fiction, Shakespeare in Love, and other Weinstein productions.
“At this time, this was the most powerful person in the industry,” Thompson quoted one of the women as saying.
Another said, according to Thompson: “He was king.”
All of the women did tell friends or family members about their experiences, Thompson said.
Each of the women “came forward independent of each other, and none of them knew one another,” Thompson told the court, according to The Associated Press.
In an attempt to head off potential defense strategies, Thompson told jurors they would hear from a psychologist who will dispel myths about rape. Key among them is the false idea that a sexual assault victim would not have further contact with their assailant, when it is in fact a common occurrence.
Additional reporting by Reuters and The Associated Press
