Topline
Disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein stands trial in Los Angeles over four counts of rape and seven counts of sexual assault, with big names including Mel Gibson and Jennifer Siebel Newsom expected to take the stand, and as jury selection began this week, some potential jurors reported never having heard about the #MeToo movement.
Former film producer Harvey Weinstein appears in court at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal … [+]
Key Facts
Jury selection, which is expected to take two weeks, began Monday, and Buzzfeed News reported at least five potential jurors so far have said they were not aware of the #MeToo movement, the national reckoning over the treatment of sexual abuse victims that skyrocketed five years ago this month, when allegations against Weinstein were first published in the New York Times and the New Yorker.
The charges against Weinstein stem from alleged incidents that took place between 2004 and 2013 with five women, one of whom was identified last week by the Los Angeles Times as Siebel Newsom, a former actress and the wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. (Siebel Newsom’s lawyer confirmed that she would testify.)
Judge Lisa B. Lench ruled Monday that the defense can introduce an email Siebel Newsom sent Weinstein in 2007, two years after he allegedly assaulted her, asking for advice from the producer on how to deal with the “bad press” from the revelation that Newsom had an affair; Weinstein’s lawyer plans to use the email to show that the two were on friendly terms, and said they had had “consensual sex.”
On Friday, Lench ruled that actor Mel Gibson can testify about an unnamed alleged victim who is Gibson’s friend and masseuse.
What To Watch For
Opening statements are expected to begin in late October, and the trial is expected to last eight weeks.
Key Background
Weinstein, 70, has pleaded not guilty to the charges he is facing in Los Angeles. He is serving a 23-year sentence after being found guilty of rape and a criminal sexual act in New York. He was cleared of predatory sexual assault and rape in the first degree. He appealed the conviction in 2021, and the decision was upheld by a state appellate court in June. However, New York Court of Appeals Chief Judge Janet DiFiore granted Weinstein an appeal in August, and oral arguments will be held next year. Weinstein was indicted on the Los Angeles charges in April 2021 and was extradited there from New York. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Further Reading
Harvey Weinstein Granted Appeal In New York Sex Assault Case (Forbes)
Appeals Court Upholds Harvey Weinstein’s Conviction (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marisadellatto/2022/10/19/harvey-weinstein-sex-assault-trial-some-potential-jurors-reportedly-not-aware-of-metoo/