Two years after his conviction on rape and sexual assault charges, former film producer Harvey Weinstein is due again for similar charges in Los Angeles.
Weinstein, 70, has pleaded not guilty, including four counts of rape, four counts of forced oral intercourse, forceful sexual penetration and restraint sexual assault in incidents dating from 2004 to 2013.
The former producer was previously found guilty in New York of criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree and was sentenced to 23 years in prison.
The New York charges were based on the testimony of Miriam Haley, who claimed in testimony that Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006 in his Manhattan apartment, and Jessica Mann, who testified that he raped her in 2013 during what she described it as an abusive relationship.
He did not testify in his own defense, but at his sentencing he made an unexpected and rambling speech that swung between remorse, defense of his actions, and confusion.
“I’m not going to say these people aren’t great, I’ve had a wonderful time with these people, you know,” Weinstein said of the women who accused him of assault. “It’s just that I’m totally confused and I think men are confused about all these issues,” the producer continued in his testimony.
Weinstein upheld his plea of innocence, and New York’s highest court agreed in August to hear his appeal in the case.
The former film producer appeared in frail health during the trial and used a walker when he arrived and left the courtroom every day. He used a wheelchair to arrive at sentencing in March 2020, as well as at a hearing in Los Angeles in July 2021. His lawyers argued that the lengthy sentence was in fact a life sentence due to his failing health.
As the founder of Miramax Films, Weinstein was one of the most powerful men in Hollywood and helped produce films such as “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespeare in Love.”
In 2017, investigative reporting by The New York Times and The New Yorker revealed Weinstein’s alleged history of sexual abuse, harassment and secret dealings as he used his influence in Hollywood to take advantage of young women.
The revelations have led to a wave of women speaking out publicly about the spread of sexual abuse and harassment in what has become known as the #MeToo movement.
Source: CNN Brasil
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