Harvey Weinstein’s second criminal trial has begun in Los Angeles.
The proceedings began on Monday (10 October) with jury selection and are expected to last for eight weeks.
This trial stems from a series of rape and sexual assault allegations against the former producer.
Here is everything you need to know about Weinstein’s second criminal trial:
Why is Weinstein facing a second trial?
Weinstein was indicted on criminal charges in two different states: New York and California. These are two different jurisdictions, hence the two trials.
The New York trial took place in 2020 and ended with Weinstein’s conviction on two charges. Charges were filed in Los Angeles just as the New York proceedings were getting underway. After some delays, Weinstein has now been extradited to Los Angeles, where he is facing trial on the California charges.
What happened during the first trial?
Weinstein’s first criminal trial began in New York in January of 2020. After weeks of testimony, the jury found Weinstein guilty of third-degree rape and of a criminal sex act. The jury acquitted him on charges of first-degree rape and predatory sexual assault.
Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison and has been serving that sentence since. In August this year, New York’s highest court (the Court of Appeals) agreed to hear an appeal by Weinstein, who has maintained his innocence and denied all allegations against him.
The Los Angeles trial is happening independently of the New York case and its pending appeal.
What are the allegations against him?
In Los Angeles, Weinstein is facing 11 counts of rape and sexual assault, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
Five women who allege Weinstein abused them are expected to testify. Four of them will do so anonymously. The fifth woman, who agreed to be named by The Associated Press through her attorney, is documentary filmmaker and actor Jennifer Siebel Newsom, who is married to California Governor Gavin Newsom.
“Like many other women, my client was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein at a purported business meeting that turned out to be a trap,” Newsom’s attorney Elizabeth Fegan told The AP in a statement. “She intends to testify at his trial in order to seek some measure of justice for survivors, and as part of her life’s work to improve the lives of women.”
In October 2017, after The New York Times and The New Yorker published extensive reports of the allegations against Weinstein, Jennifer Siebel Newsom wrote in The Huffington Post: “Based on my years in the industry and unfortunately, my own personal experience with Harvey Weinstein, I can tell you that I believe every single word that was written in the extremely disturbing, but not all that shocking, New York Times piece published yesterday.
“Not all that shocking because very similar things happened to me. I was naive, new to the industry, and didn’t know how to deal with his aggressive advances ― work invitations with a friend late-night at The Toronto Film Festival, and later an invitation to meet with him about a role in The Peninsula Hotel, where staff were present and then all of a sudden disappeared like clockwork, leaving me alone with this extremely powerful and intimidating Hollywood legend.”
Additional reporting by The Associated Press
