CNN
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Former film producer Harvey Weinstein was discovered responsible of three of seven prices towards him, together with rape, Monday in a Los Angeles sexual assault trial through which prosecutors mentioned he used his Hollywood affect to lure ladies into personal conferences and assault them.
He faces a doable sentence of 24 years in jail, in keeping with the Los Angeles District Legal professional’s Workplace.
Jurors discovered Weinstein not responsible of 1 depend of sexual battery by restraint towards one other lady. They had been a hung jury on one depend of sexual battery by restraint, one depend of forcible oral copulation and one depend of rape associated to 2 different ladies – together with Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a filmmaker and first accomplice to California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The three prices he was convicted of – rape, sexual penetration by overseas object and forcible oral copulation – had been all tied to one among his accusers, a mannequin and actress who testified the film mogul assaulted her in a Beverly Hills lodge room in February 2013.
The lady, recognized as Jane Doe 1 in court docket, was the primary to testify within the trial.
“Harvey Weinstein ceaselessly destroyed part of me that night time in 2013. I’ll by no means get that again. The felony trial was brutal. Weinstein’s legal professionals put me by way of hell on the witness stand. However I knew I needed to see this by way of the tip, and I did… I hope Harvey Weinstein by no means sees the surface of a jail cell throughout his lifetime,” Jane Doe 1 mentioned in an announcement launched by way of her lawyer.
Weinstein had pleaded not responsible to all seven prices towards him.
“Harvey is clearly upset, nonetheless hopefully as a result of with this explicit accuser there are good floor to enchantment based mostly on time and site of alleged occasions,” Weinstein’s spokesperson Juda Engelmayer mentioned in an announcement. “He’s grateful the jury took their time to deliberate on the opposite counts and he’s ready to proceed combating for his innocence.”
The decision was reached as jurors entered their third week of deliberations, assembly for a complete of 41 hours over a interval of 10 days.
Elizabeth Fegan, an lawyer representing Siebel Newsom, who was recognized in court docket as Jane Doe 4, mentioned they had been upset that the jury couldn’t attain a unanimous verdict on the fees associated to her consumer.
“My consumer, Jane Doe 4, shared her story not with an expectation to testify however to assist all of the survivors who bravely got here ahead. Whereas we’re heartened that the jury discovered Weinstein responsible on among the counts, we’re upset that the jury couldn’t attain a unanimous verdict on Jane Doe 4. She is going to proceed to struggle for all ladies and all survivors of abuse towards a system that allows the sufferer to be shamed and re-traumatized within the title of justice,” Fegan mentioned in an announcement to CNN.
The Los Angeles jury deliberated longer than the New York jury in Weinstein’s first felony trial in 2020, through which he was convicted of criminal sex act and third-degree rape after 26 hours of deliberations.
Weinstein has already been serving a 23-year sentence for that conviction. His attorneys have appealed, which put extra consideration on the result of the trial in Los Angeles.
Jurors will return to court docket Tuesday to contemplate aggravating components to assist decide the result of Weinstein’s sentencing listening to, in keeping with the DA’s workplace.
The weekslong Los Angeles trial noticed emotional testimony from Weinstein’s accusers – a mannequin, a dancer, a therapeutic massage therapist and Siebel Newsom – all of whom had been requested to recount the main points of their allegations towards him, present particulars of conferences with the producer from years in the past, and clarify their reactions to the alleged assaults.
Weinstein initially confronted 11 prices, however 4 counts linked to an unnamed lady had been dropped with out clarification. She did not testify within the trial.
Jane Doe 2, who was recognized as Lauren Younger, advised her lawyer Gloria Allred by telephone that she was comfortable that Weinstein was convicted on some counts regardless of there being a mistrial on her depend, Allred mentioned in a information convention after the decision.
“I’m relieved that Harvey Weinstein has been convicted as a result of he deserves to be punished for the crimes that he dedicated, and he can not use his energy to intimidate and sexually assault extra ladies,” Younger mentioned in an announcement learn by Allred.
In closing arguments, Los Angeles County Deputy District Legal professional Marlene Martinez referred to as Weinstein a “titan” who used his energy in Hollywood to prey on and silence ladies.
“Rapists rape. You may have a look at the sample,” fellow prosecutor Paul Thompson advised jurors.
“You will have irrefutable, overwhelming proof in regards to the nature of this man and what he did to those ladies,” Thompson mentioned.
In the meantime, Weinstein’s attorneys maintained the allegations are both fabricated or occurred consensually as a part of a “transactional relationship” with the film producer, repeatedly saying there isn’t any proof of assault.
Protection lawyer Alan Jackson referred to as the accusers “fame and fortune seekers.”
The trial in Los Angeles included testimony from the 4 accusers recognized as Jane Does in court docket, and different witnesses, together with specialists, regulation enforcement, buddies of accusers and former aides to Weinstein.
Moreover, four women testified they had been subjected to related conduct by Weinstein in different jurisdictions.
Every morning at trial, Weinstein was introduced from a correctional facility and wheeled into the Los Angeles courtroom sporting a swimsuit and tie and holding a composition pocket book.
His accusers all started their oftentimes emotional testimonies by figuring out him within the courtroom as he seemed on.
“He’s sporting a swimsuit, and a blue tie and he’s gazing me,” Siebel Newsom mentioned final month, earlier than what was one of the emotional moments of the trial. She testified that Weinstein raped her in a lodge room in 2005.
Through the trial, protection lawyer Jackson requested jurors if they might “settle for what (the Jane Does) say as gospel,” arguing what they mentioned was a scarcity of forensic proof supporting their declare.
“5 phrases that sum up everything of the prosecution’s case: ‘Take my phrase for it,’” Jackson mentioned. “‘Take my phrase for it that he confirmed up at my lodge room unannounced. Take my phrase for it that I confirmed up at his lodge room. Take my phrase for it that I didn’t consent. Take my phrase for it, that I mentioned no.’ “
Siebel Newsom described an hourslong “cat-and-mouse interval,” which preceded her alleged assault. She, like different accusers, described feeling “frozen” that day.
Attorneys for Weinstein don’t deny the incident occurred, however mentioned he believed it was consensual.
Jackson referred to as the incident “consensual, transactional intercourse,” including: “Remorse is just not the identical factor as rape. And it’s necessary we make that distinction on this courtroom.”
In her closing arguments, Martinez highlighted the ladies who testified selected to take action regardless of understanding they might face robust situations in court docket.
“The reality is that, as you sit right here, we all know the despicable conduct the defendant engaged in. He thought he was so highly effective that individuals would … excuse his conduct,” Martinez mentioned. “That’s simply Harvey being Harvey. That’s simply Hollywood. And for thus lengthy that’s what everybody did. Everybody simply turned their heads.”
