The latest developments
The Harvey Weinstein case shook Hollywood at the end of 2017 and triggered the global #MeToo movement. After the former film producer was sentenced to 23 years in prison for sex offenses in New York, he is now awaiting further trial.
Harvey Weinstein was wheeled into the Los Angeles courtroom for sentencing.
The latest developments
- British prosecutors have approved charges against former American film producer Harvey Weinstein. The convicted sex offender is accused of two indecent assaults on a woman in London in 1996. “The charges against Harvey Weinstein, 70, have been cleared following a review of evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police in their investigation,” the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in a statement Wednesday (6/8). . Weinstein is currently in jail in New York awaiting trial in California.
- Harvey Weinstein is suing Chrysler for millions in damages over a car accident. The Jeep incident in August 2019 “catastrophically injured and paralyzed” the now 70-year-old, who is currently serving a long sentence, according to a complaint by Weinstein’s lawyers. They want five million dollars from the car manufacturer. The document, dated Tuesday (June 7), further states that the car that Weinstein was provided with for advertising purposes in one of his films did not meet the necessary safety standards.
- A New York appeals court has dismissed Weinstein’s appeal against his conviction. The court announced on Thursday (June 2) that the verdict in which he was sentenced to 23 years in prison for sex crimes in March 2020 remains in place. “We are pleased with today’s decision, which upholds a monumental conviction that has transformed the way prosecutors and courts approach the complex prosecution of sex offenders,” said Attorney Alvin Bragg. He was “disappointed, but not surprised,” said a spokesman for Weinstein – and announced that he would explore further appeal options.
Harvey Weinstein is already serving a long sentence in New York for rape and sexual assault. Now the former film mogul has also been accused of sexual assault in Los Angeles. According to media reports, his lawyers rebuffed their application in court to drop the charges. A date for the start of the process has not yet been set. Observers consider a start before the summer to be unlikely. What Weinstein expects in the UK is also still unclear.
According to prosecutors, the trial in California involves allegations by five women between 2004 and 2013. The eleven counts against Weinstein include rape, forced oral sex and other sexual assaults. The five women remain anonymous. In court, their names are paraphrased only as “Jane Doe #1-#5”. Most of the attacks are believed to have taken place in Beverly Hills hotels.
According to prosecutors, Weinstein pleaded not guilty in court. The former Hollywood mogul has also denied previous allegations of sexual assault on the grounds that any sexual activity was consensual.
If Weinstein is found guilty of all charges at the California trial, he faces up to 140 years in prison.
In March 2020, Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in New York State for sex crimes. Judge James Burke’s sentencing came about two weeks after a jury found Weinstein guilty of rape and sexual assault. The maximum penalty would have been 29 years in prison.
Harvey Weinstein at the 2018 trial in New York.
The trial began in January 2020 at the New York Criminal Court. Weinstein was charged with rape, sexual assault and “predatory sexual assault” – the latter roughly translates to “instinctive sexual violence”. Prosecutors wanted to prove that Weinstein behaved like a “predator” towards women. Some of the women who have accused Weinstein of sexual assault in recent years were present in court as spectators.
Since many cases were already statute-barred or were not reported, the process only revolved around the allegations of two women. One of them, a former Weinstein Company production assistant named Mimi Haleyi, is said to have been forced to perform oral sex by the former Hollywood mogul in 2006. The other woman, former actress Jessica Mann, is said to have been raped by Weinstein in 2013.
A total of 28 witnesses testified at the trial, and another 7 people were heard from the defense. Among the witnesses were women who accused Weinstein of rape, but whose cases had expired and could no longer be prosecuted.
Protesters at a 2017 #MeToo rally in California.
Before the sexual assault scandal broke out, Harvey Weinstein was one of Hollywood’s most influential film producers. The once extremely rich film mogul dominated the industry with films such as “Pulp Fiction”, “Good Will Hunting” or “Gangs of New York”. He was awarded an Oscar as a producer for “Shakespeare in Love”.
At the same time, allegations against Weinstein regarding his alleged sexual assault in Hollywood have been an open secret for years. But it was only in the fall of 2017 that they became known around the world through the New York Times and the New Yorker magazine. After that, it all happened in quick succession, and more and more allegations against Weinstein were made by more and more women. More than 80 women are now accusing Weinstein of sexual assault, including world-renowned actresses such as Angelina Jolie, Ashley Judd, Uma Thurman and Salma Hayek.
The articles in the New York Times and New Yorker, which were later awarded the Pulitzer Prize, primarily triggered the global #MeToo movement. Because the allegations against Weinstein resulted in a pattern: The very rich film producer, who dominated the industry and was awarded the Oscar for films such as “Pulp Fiction”, among other things, is said to have used his power in a targeted manner to make young women docile. In return, he is said to have promised them a great career.
After the first Weinstein revelations, women and men all over the world recognized their own experiences in those of the alleged Weinstein victims and began to make them public on social networks under the keyword #MeToo. The spectrum of allegations was wide, ranging from lewd remarks and obscene behavior to abuse of power and years of (sexual) violence.
With agency material.