FILE: Jailed Harvey Weinstein faces rape trial in Los Angeles

Record ID: 1693937

  • Title: FILE: Jailed Harvey Weinstein faces rape trial in Los Angeles
  • Date: 20th October 2022
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (FILE - JULY 21, 2021) (UNRESTRICTED POOL) ATTORNEY FOR WEINSTEIN, MARK WERKSMAN, ENTERING A PLEA OF NOT GUILTY TO CHARGES OF RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT INVOLVING FIVE WOMEN, LOS ANGELES SUPERIOR JUDGE, SERGIO TAPIA PRESIDING WEINSTEIN SEEN BEHIND LAWYERS DURING PROCEEDINGS WEINSTEIN'S ARM JUDGE TAPIA PRESIDING WEINSTEIN'S ATTORNEYS / WE
  • Embargoed: 3rd November 2022 11:22
  • Keywords: Georgina Chapman Harvey Weinstein court former producer sexual assault
  • Location: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
  • City: VARIOUS LOCATIONS
  • Country: US
  • Topics: Celebrities,Arts/Culture/Entertainment,United States
  • Reuters ID: LVA002896001011970RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Harvey Weinstein, currently serving a 23-year sentence for sex crimes in New York, is back on trial on criminal charges in Los Angeles, the city where he once held sway as one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood.
    Weinstein, 70, is facing 11 charges of rape and sexual assault involving five women in the Beverly Hills and Los Angeles area between 2004 and 2013. Opening arguments are expected to start on Monday (October 24). Weinstein has pleaded not guilty.
    One of Weinstein's accusers is Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker, actor and wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Siebel Newsom will testify that Weinstein sexually assaulted her during what she thought was going to be a business meeting, according to her attorney, Elizabeth Fegan.
    The identities of the other accusers are being kept secret in court documents, which refer to them as Jane Does 1 through 5. Weinstein has said all of his sexual encounters with women were consensual.
    One potential witness against Weinstein is actor Mel Gibson, who prosecutors said was a friend of one of the accusers. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa Lench ruled last week that Gibson could testify about what the friend told him about Weinstein, though the judge said she could change her mind depending on the friend's testimony.
    Weinstein, the Oscar-winning producer of "Shakespeare in Love" and "The King's Speech," was convicted of sexual misconduct in New York in February 2020. Allegations against him helped fuel the #MeToo movement of women speaking out about harassment and abuse by men in Hollywood and beyond.
    Weinstein was extradicted from New York to a Los Angeles prison in July 2021. Now in declining health, he has been seated in a wheelchair during jury selection in Los Angeles Superior Court.
    In New York, Weinstein is appealing his conviction and 23-year prison sentence. He could face up to 140 years in prison if convicted on all 11 of the charges in Los Angeles.
    (Production: Lisa Giles-Keddie, Lisa Richwine)
  • Copyright Holder: POOL (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2022. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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