Disgraced ex-Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein faces his second rape trial Monday in Los Angeles, which could jeopardize his hopes of regaining his freedom.
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The 70-year-old former “king” of cinema was convicted of rape and two sexual assaults in the California metropolis in December, and faces up to 18 more years in prison for these crimes.
In 2020 he had already been sentenced to 23 years in prison for similar acts during a trial in New York. However, after suffering multiple rejections, he was granted approval to appeal that conviction in August.
He maintains his “innocence” and has already announced his intention to appeal the Los Angeles verdict.
Harvey Weinstein, who produced award-winning films like Pulp Fiction and The Artist, fell from his pedestal after press inquiries in 2017 accused him of being a sexual “predator” in Hollywood.
These revelations launched #MeToo, a global movement to liberate women’s voices on gender-based and sexual violence.
In total, almost 90 women, including actresses Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rosanna Arquette, have accused him of molestation, sexual assault or rape. But the statute of limitations has been exceeded in many of these cases, some dating back to 1977.
The California case involved four women, including Jennifer Siebel-Newsom, wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
During four weeks of hearings, they detailed allegations that the producer forced them to have sex at hotels in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles between 2004 and 2013.
Prosecutors portrayed Mr. Weinstein as an ogre whose stranglehold on Hollywood — the films he has produced have garnered more than 330 Academy Award nominations and 81 statuettes — long kept his victims from speaking out for fear of repercussions on their lives.
The defense denied any coercion and ensured the relationship was consensual and mutually beneficial while insisting on the lack of physical evidence.
After deliberating for two weeks, the jury returned a mixed verdict: they found Harvey Weinstein guilty of raping and sexually assaulting one of the plaintiffs, acquitted him in another, and separated for the last two, including Ms. Siebel-Newson.
The ex-producer is also facing charges of sexual assault in the UK dating back to 1996.