CNN
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Former film producer Harvey Weinstein was discovered responsible of three of seven fees in opposition to him, together with rape, Monday in a Los Angeles sexual assault trial during which prosecutors stated he used his Hollywood affect to lure girls into personal conferences and assault them.
He faces a potential sentence of 24 years in jail, in accordance with the Los Angeles District Lawyer’s Workplace.
Jurors discovered Weinstein not responsible of 1 depend of sexual battery by restraint in opposition to one other girl. 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 girls – together with Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a filmmaker and first companion to California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The three fees he was convicted of – rape, sexual penetration by overseas object and forcible oral copulation – had been all tied to considered one of his accusers, a mannequin and actress who testified the film mogul assaulted her in a Beverly Hills resort room in February 2013.
The girl, recognized as Jane Doe 1 in court docket, was the primary to testify within the trial.
“Harvey Weinstein perpetually destroyed part of me that evening in 2013. I’ll by no means get that again. The legal trial was brutal. Weinstein’s legal professionals put me via hell on the witness stand. However I knew I needed to see this via the top, and I did… I hope Harvey Weinstein by no means sees the skin of a jail cell throughout his lifetime,” Jane Doe 1 stated in an announcement launched via her legal professional.
Weinstein had pleaded not responsible to all seven fees in opposition to him.
“Harvey is clearly upset, nonetheless hopefully as a result of with this specific accuser there are good floor to attraction primarily based on time and site of alleged occasions,” Weinstein’s spokesperson Juda Engelmayer stated 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 legal professional representing Siebel Newsom, who was recognized in court docket as Jane Doe 4, stated they had been upset that the jury couldn’t attain a unanimous verdict on the fees associated to her shopper.
“My shopper, 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 a number of the counts, we’re upset that the jury couldn’t attain a unanimous verdict on Jane Doe 4. She is going to proceed to battle for all girls and all survivors of abuse in opposition to a system that allows the sufferer to be shamed and re-traumatized within the title of justice,” Fegan stated in an announcement to CNN.
The Los Angeles jury deliberated longer than the New York jury in Weinstein’s first legal trial in 2020, during which he was convicted of legal intercourse 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 end result of the trial in Los Angeles.
Jurors will return to court docket Tuesday to contemplate aggravating elements to assist decide the end result of Weinstein’s sentencing listening to, in accordance 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 small print of their allegations in opposition to 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 fees, however 4 counts related to an unnamed girl had been dropped with out clarification. She didn’t testify within the trial.
Jane Doe 2, who was recognized as Lauren Younger, instructed her legal professional Gloria Allred by cellphone that she was glad that Weinstein was convicted on some counts regardless of there being a mistrial on her depend, Allred stated 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 now not use his energy to intimidate and sexually assault extra girls,” Younger stated in an announcement learn by Allred.
In closing arguments, Los Angeles County Deputy District Lawyer Marlene Martinez known as Weinstein a “titan” who used his energy in Hollywood to prey on and silence girls.
“Rapists rape. You may take a look at the sample,” fellow prosecutor Paul Thompson instructed jurors.
“You may have irrefutable, overwhelming proof concerning the nature of this man and what he did to those girls,” Thompson stated.
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 a proof of assault.
Protection legal professional Alan Jackson known 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 consultants, legislation enforcement, buddies of accusers and former aides to Weinstein.
Moreover, 4 girls testified they had been subjected to comparable habits 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 go well with 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 go well with, and a blue tie and he’s watching me,” Siebel Newsom stated final month, earlier than what was some of the emotional moments of the trial. She testified that Weinstein raped her in a resort room in 2005.
In the course of the trial, protection legal professional Jackson requested jurors if they might “settle for what (the Jane Does) say as gospel,” arguing what they stated was a scarcity of forensic proof supporting their declare.
“5 phrases that sum up the whole lot of the prosecution’s case: ‘Take my phrase for it,’” Jackson stated. “‘Take my phrase for it that he confirmed up at my resort room unannounced. Take my phrase for it that I confirmed up at his resort room. Take my phrase for it that I didn’t consent. Take my phrase for it, that I stated 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 stated he believed it was consensual.
Jackson known as the incident “consensual, transactional intercourse,” including: “Remorse isn’t the identical factor as rape. And it’s vital we make that distinction on this courtroom.”
In her closing arguments, Martinez highlighted the ladies who testified selected to take action regardless of figuring out they might face powerful situations in court docket.
“The reality is that, as you sit right here, we all know the despicable habits the defendant engaged in. He thought he was so highly effective that folks would … excuse his habits,” Martinez stated. “That’s simply Harvey being Harvey. That’s simply Hollywood. And for thus lengthy that’s what everybody did. Everybody simply turned their heads.”
