Harvey Weinstein is unlikely to stroll free once more regardless of the outcomes of his trial. Still, the stakes are excessive | EUROtoday

State prosecutors are as soon as once more making an attempt Harvey Weinstein for intercourse crimes in New York. Whatever the jury decides, the movie mogul will probably by no means be free from jail once more, however the stakes of the case are nonetheless extremely excessive.

Weinstein faces three intercourse crimes depend— two are the identical as within the preliminary New York trial, whereas one is a brand new cost. The legal counts stem from alleged encounters with three ladies: manufacturing assistant Miriam Haley, aspiring Jessica Mann, and former mannequin Kaja Sokola, who accused him of assault. It was comparable claims towards the previous movie mogul that helped kick off the #MeToo motion, the place sexual assault accusers spoke out towards their alleged attackers.

The 73-year-old was convicted in New York in 2020 after which in Los Angeles in 2022. But the victories for the motion waned after an appeals court docket in New York final 12 months overturned his sexual assault and rape conviction. The destiny of this trial might rebrand Weinstein as a rapist or formally clear his identify within the state; it might additionally assist dictate the way forward for the #MeToo motion.

The case is exclusive, partly because of the overturned conviction that has resulted in an eight-year hole between when Weinstein first confronted a mountain of sexual misconduct allegations and this month’s retrial. It’s unclear which aspect time will favor.

But one factor is obvious: the fanfare round his case appears to have dwindled with time. Five years in the past, greater than 100 ladies packed into the park throughout from Manhattan legal court docket to chant an anti-rape anthem whereas Weinstein was criminally tried inside. This time round, the park was empty. Only a handful of members of the general public confirmed as much as his retrial.

The ladies within the case have been attacked after coming ahead, together with one who was accused of being a prostitute, Lindsay Goldbrum, Sokola’s legal professional, mentioned at a mid-day press convention. The consequence of this case might probably affect others’ willingness to talk out — particularly eight years since #MeToo kicked off.

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Asked in regards to the lack of supporters outdoors the courthouse, Goldbrum mentioned: “I think that there’s been a shift in the media attention surrounding this trial, not only because this is the third criminal trial party white seats of the sexual assault but also because of the environment and the other large scale criminal sexual assault trials that are going on and about to go on.”

The federal intercourse trafficking case towards Sean “Diddy” Combs is ready to start in New York subsequent month.

Although it is probably not outdoors the courthouse Wednesday, the groundswell of assist for survivors remains to be there, Gloria Allred, Haley’s legal professional, mentioned: “The #MeToo movement is alive and well and is living in New York.”

Goldbrum agreed, noting the strides which have resulted from the motion: “There’s been incredible changes in legislative surrounding sexual assault. I think as a society, we are starting to have a better collective understanding about the trauma that sexual assault survivors have faced.”

The jury heard opening statements in court docket Wednesday. Both the prosecution and protection agreed on two issues: Weinstein is extraordinarily profitable and he held the “key” to the trade as “Hollywood’s gatekeeper.”

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Inside the courtroom, Assistant District Attorney Shannon Lucey branded Weinstein because the “gatekeeper” who “held power for 30 years in that industry.”

“Weinstein had enormous control over those working in TV and film because he determined who was in and out,” she mentioned. “He used these dream alternatives as weapons.”

Lucey walked through each of the accusers’ accounts one by one, detailing their allegations of forced sex by the film mogul with the calmness of a well-trained therapist. The jury saw photos of each of the women; the prosecutor repeatedly pointed out the size difference between Weinstein and the women as part of her argument to underscore just how much power — physically and professionally — Weinstein possessed.

Arthur Aidala, Weinstein’s defense attorney, delivered very impassioned remarks in which he placed blame on the accusers and insisted their alleged encounters with his client were consensual. He called the three women “manipulative” and “conniving.”

“He can get you within the door. They all realized he had the important thing to get them into that room,” Aidala advised the jury. The ladies had been flirtatious, he argued: “They wanted him. He could change the trajectory of their lives.”

He talked about the trade’s transactional historical past. “The casting couch was not a crime scene. Was it immoral? 100 percent.”

Aidala additionally tried to forged doubt within the jurors’ minds of all the accusers’ allegations. He centered on cash that Weinstein’s accusers obtained from a hefty settlement over civil swimsuit allegations of sexual misconduct.

“There are 4 million reasons to lie. That’s how much they all took: $4 million after making accusations,” Aidala said.

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The defense attorney also argued that the allegations against his client are just “pages” but the jury needs to “read the whole book” for context.

These women used Weinstein to try to get ahead, he argued. They “tried to chop the road, they tried to take a shortcut.” These encounters were consensual and transactional, Aidala argued. He then pointed out how Weinstein cheated on his wife before underscoring: “There’s a variety of actual property between immorality and criminality.”

Last week, the decide dominated Weinstein — who suffers from power myeloid leukemia and different illnesses — might stay within the hospital during the trial. He rolled into the courtroom Wednesday in a wheelchair.

The disgraced movie mogul is unlikely to see life outdoors of jail whatever the trial’s consequence as a result of he has but to start out serving his 16-year sentence following his California conviction on comparable allegations.

Still, the stakes are excessive in New York for his future and, probably, the trajectory of #MeToo.