Major Democrat Donor Slammed with Sexual Harassment Allegations

Danbones

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He went out for Pizza!
Nudge, nudge


Very funny epstein!
;)
Now get back on the weiner machine and work out some more, you are getting fat, stupid and slow.

..and try keep your nudgey little hands to yourself prince.
 

spaminator

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Oct 26, 2009
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'FORGOTTEN MAN': Weinstein bemoans his 'legacy has been eviscerated'
WENN - World Entertainment News Network
Published:
December 16, 2019
Updated:
December 16, 2019 11:44 AM EST
Film producer Harvey Weinstein exits following a hearing in his sexual assault case at New York State Supreme Court in New York, December 6, 2019. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson -/File Photo)
Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein is bemoaning the destruction of his Hollywood legacy after he was “eviscerated” over allegations of sexual misconduct.
The disgraced producer will stand trial for multiple counts of predatory sexual assault, one of criminal sexual act in the first degree, and one each of first-degree rape and third-degree rape in New York City in January.
He has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and now, in his first interview in over a year, the 67 year old is complaining about feeling “like the forgotten man.”
In a chat with the New York Post, Weinstein argues he should be applauded for his decades of work with women – even though more than 80 females have since come forward with claims of inappropriate behaviour against him.
“I made more movies directed by women and about women than any filmmaker, and I’m talking about 30 years ago,” he said. “I’m not talking about now when it’s vogue. I did it first! I pioneered it!”
And Weinstein is bitter about how quickly his career fell apart: “It all got eviscerated because of what happened,” he vented. “My work has been forgotten.”
“I want this city to recognize who I was instead of what I’ve become,” he added.
Weinstein, who declined to directly address the sexual misconduct allegations, explained he was breaking his silence to dispute reports suggesting he had been faking his back injury, which required him to use a walker in court last week.
He underwent spinal surgery to treat an injury to his vertebrae sustained in an August car accident, and spent Friday recuperating at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
“This was a major operation,” he insisted.
Weinstein’s public comments emerge days after his bail was increased to US$5 million after a judge ruled there was no excuse for violations of his electronic monitoring agreement.
http://torontosun.com/news/crime/forgotten-man-weinstein-bemoans-his-legacy-has-been-eviscerated
 

spaminator

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Harvey Weinstein sued by ex-teen model who claims he forced her to touch his penis
WENN - World Entertainment News Network
Published:
December 20, 2019
Updated:
December 20, 2019 11:59 AM EST
Harvey Weinstein has back surgery
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Former teenage model Kaja Sokola has accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, filing a lawsuit against the disgraced movie mogul in New York on Thursday.
The Polish native, who is now 33, alleges in the papers that in 2002 — when she was just 16 years old — Weinstein had promised to take her out to lunch but instead took her back to his Manhattan apartment “without her consent” and assaulted her. While the former movie boss has been accused of sexual misconduct by over 70 women, this is the first case which alleges he assaulted a minor.
In the files, obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Sokola claimed Weinstein “aggressively and threateningly demanded sex” and “instructed her take off her clothes” and “to touch herself.” In addition, a pant-less Weinstein is alleged to have forced the teenager to touch his penis, despite her protestations, and “grabbed at her breasts.”
“(Weinstein) made clear that refusing his sexual demands would mean giving up the opportunity to make it in Hollywood,” the papers continued.
Sokola, who is now 33 and working as a clinical psychologist in Poland, added that the alleged abuse had led to her suffering from “long-term depression, anorexia and difficulty in maintaining healthy relationships with men.”
Story continues below
“This traumatic day has been etched in Sokola’s mind every day thereafter, and it has caused her immense emotional pain and suffering, even seventeen years later and long after she gave up her dreams of acting or working in the entertainment industry,” the suit continued.
Sokola was originally part of the class-action lawsuit against Weinstein, which saw accusers paid a US$25-million settlement, but said she could not “accept the proposed ‘global settlement’ as fair or just.”
“There is no accountability for the perpetrators, insufficient compensation for all of the victims, and millions of dollars going to people that I believe enabled Weinstein…” she said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. “I know that this lawsuit cannot erase the pain that I have been living with for 17 years. But I do hope to achieve at least some measure of justice that has still been denied to Harvey Weinstein’s many victims.”
Sokola, who also filed the lawsuit against Harvey’s brother Bob Weinstein, Weinstein’s former studio Miramax, and its previous owner Walt Disney Co., is seeking compensatory, punitive, and exemplary damages.
Weinstein will be heading to trial on Jan. 6. He is pleading not guilty to all charges against him.

http://latimes.com/entertainment-ar...sues-harvey-weinstein-alleging-sexual-assault
http://torontosun.com/entertainment...l-who-claims-he-forced-her-to-touch-his-penis
 

spaminator

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Model Gigi Hadid shows up for jury duty in Weinstein rape trial
Reuters
Published:
January 13, 2020
Updated:
January 13, 2020 6:26 PM EST
NEW YORK — More than 100 potential jurors showed up on Monday in a Manhattan courtroom for the rape trial of former movie producer Harvey Weinstein, including model Gigi Hadid.
The Weinstein trial entered its second week as the judge and lawyers in the case sought to select a panel of 12 impartial New Yorkers to decide his fate.
Hadid told Justice James Burke, who is presiding over the case, she had met Weinstein before as well as actress Salma Hayek, who may be called as a witness or be mentioned during the trial. Despite this, Hadid said she could remain impartial.
“I think I’m still able to keep an open mind on the facts,” said Hadid, who as a Manhattan resident received a standard jury summons.
Of the 120 potential jurors who appeared on Monday, dozens were excused after saying they could not be impartial, without providing a reason. Just 35 were asked to return to court on Thursday for the second phase of jury selection, in which they will be asked more detailed questions about their backgrounds.
More jurors will be screened in the first phase on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting two women, and faces life in prison if convicted on the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault. His trial began Jan. 6 and could last up to two months.
The former producer, who has been using a walker, attended Monday’s session as he has every day since the trial process began and turned briefly to greet potential jurors as a group.
Since 2017, more than 80 women, including many famous actresses, have accused him of sexual misconduct dating back decades. Weinstein has denied the allegations, saying any sexual encounters he had were consensual.
The allegations helped fuel the #MeToo movement, in which women have gone public with misconduct allegations against powerful men in business, entertainment and politics.
Weinstein, once one of Hollywood’s most powerful producers, made his mark with critically acclaimed films such as “The English Patient” and “Shakespeare in Love.”
Burke said on Monday that 108 out of 360 potential jurors summoned last week passed pre-screening and were expected to return Thursday.
On Jan. 6, as the New York trial began, Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced new sexual assault charges against Weinstein.
http://torontosun.com/news/crime/model-gigi-hadid-shows-up-for-jury-duty-in-weinstein-rape-trial
 

spaminator

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Gigi Hadid dismissed as juror from Harvey Weinstein trial
WENN - World Entertainment News Network
Published:
January 16, 2020
Updated:
January 16, 2020 11:11 AM EST
Model Gigi Hadid arrives at Manhattan Criminal Court, on January 16, 2020, in New York City. JOHANNES EISELE / AFP via Getty Images
Gigi Hadid has been dismissed from her role as a juror for Harvey Weinstein’s sexual assault trial.
The 24-year-old model was let go from Manhattan Supreme Court in New York on Thursday, which was the eighth day of jury selection for the highly anticipated criminal trial, reported the New York Post’s gossip column Page Six.
She previously told Justice James Burke she had “met the defendant”, and also raised her hand when Burke asked if any of the prospective jury members knew potential witnesses like Salma Hayek, Charlize Theron, and Rosie Perez.
However, she insisted her affiliation with the case wouldn’t impact her ability to judge fairly, remarking: “I think I’m still able to keep an open mind on the facts.”
The trial is struggling to find jurors, after more than a third of those initially quizzed had to be dismissed after declaring they cannot be impartial.
Story continues below
Weinstein is charged with two counts of predatory sex assault, two counts of rape and one count of a criminal sex act, stemming from the allegations of three women.
The trial is set to begin on Jan. 22. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
http://torontosun.com/news/crime/model-gigi-hadid-shows-up-for-jury-duty-in-weinstein-rape-trial
http://pagesix.com/2020/01/16/gigi-hadid-dismissed-as-juror-in-harvey-weinsteins-trial
http://torontosun.com/news/crime/gigi-hadid-dismissed-as-juror-from-harvey-weinstein-trial
 

spaminator

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Woman claims in lawsuit she stabbed Harvey Weinstein’s genitals
Author of the article:WENN - World Entertainment News Network
Publishing date:Mar 28, 2021 • 40 minutes ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Film producer Harvey Weinstein departs Criminal Court is pictured on the first day of a sexual assault trial in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., January 6, 2020.
Film producer Harvey Weinstein departs Criminal Court is pictured on the first day of a sexual assault trial in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., January 6, 2020.
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Harvey Weinstein’s attorney has shot down a new accusation of sexual assault after the alleged victim claimed to have stabbed the disgraced producer in the genitals with a broken nail.

A new lawsuit was filed against the incarcerated movie mogul in California Superior Court in Los Angeles on Friday, with Hayley Gripp accusing Weinstein of forcing himself on her in a Beverly Hilton hotel suite back in November 2012, when the aspiring actress was 19 years old.


In legal papers obtained by TMZ, Gripp explained how she had been approached in the hotel by an unidentified female associate of Weinstein’s while she was waiting for a casting call nearby, and they started discussing her career hopes, as well as her struggle with nervous system disorder Tourette syndrome.

The woman convinced Gripp to meet with a big producer who happened to be at the same venue, and was introduced to Weinstein, who allegedly went by the name Dom. She was served a glass of wine, after which she claims to have temporarily blacked out – only to awake and find the heavyweight producer touching her vagina and masturbating, as she was pinned down on a coffee table.

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According to the suit, Gripp immediately began fighting back and broke one of her false nails on the table, which she used to stab him in the scrotum, leaving him bloodied as she made a run for it.


She went on to recall how the female associate, who had been “standing guard” outside the room, apparently blamed the incident on her Tourette’s, and warned her to keep quiet about the encounter because no one would believe her.

Gripp insists she had no idea who Weinstein was at the time, and only recognized him in 2017, when he hit headlines as part of the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct.

Her lawyer, Eric Lerner, tells the New York Post his client was subsequently diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, and is now seeking justice for Weinstein’s alleged actions with a jury trial for unspecified damages.

“This lawsuit is about Ms. Gripp reclaiming her power, becoming a survivor, not a victim, and getting restitution for the sexual crimes perpetrated against her. She has real damages from this that are lasting,” Lerner said.

“Harvey Weinstein, along with those who helped him perpetrate these crimes of sexual assault and attempted rape against Ms. Gripp, must be held responsible for ruining her life.”

However, Weinstein’s attorney, Imran H. Ansari, has hit back at the legal action, declaring his client innocent.

“Mr. Weinstein categorically denies the allegations made against him in the complaint that has come out of the woodwork, and intends to vigorously defend against the lawsuit,” Ansari shared in a statement.

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Weinstein is already serving a 23-year prison sentence in New York following his conviction for the 2013 rape of hairstylist Jessica Mann and forcibly performing oral sex on former Project Runway production assistant Miriam ‘Mimi’ Haleyi in 2006.


The fallen producer, who has faced a mountain of similar sexual misconduct allegations, is also facing extradition to Los Angeles, to stand trial for 11 counts of rape, sexual battery, and other counts relating to claims made by five women from incidents which reportedly occurred in California over a decade ago.

If convicted, he faces 140 years to life in prison.
 
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spaminator

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Harvey Weinstein appeals sexual assault conviction, seeks new trial
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:Apr 05, 2021 • 11 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
Film producer Harvey Weinstein departs Criminal Court on the first day of a sexual assault trial in the Manhattan borough of New York City, Jan. 6, 2020.
Film producer Harvey Weinstein departs Criminal Court on the first day of a sexual assault trial in the Manhattan borough of New York City, Jan. 6, 2020. PHOTO BY BRENDAN MCDERMID /REUTERS / FILES
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Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein on Monday asked a New York state appeals court to throw out his conviction for sexual assault and rape and grant a new trial, saying the trial judge made several errors that denied him an impartial jury.

Weinstein, 69, was sentenced in March 2020 by Justice James Burke of Manhattan criminal court to 23 years in prison for assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi and raping former aspiring actress Jessica Mann.


Weinstein has denied any nonconsensual sexual encounters.

His conviction was seen as a watershed moment in the #MeToo movement against sexual abuse and harassment.


Weinstein makes seven arguments in his bid to overturn his conviction, from seating a juror that Weinstein’s lawyers accused of being grossly unqualified to an unduly harsh sentence.

His lawyers also argue he was denied a presumption of innocence when Burke allowed the jury to hear testimony from three women who alleged Weinstein assaulted them even though their accusations did not result in a criminal charge.

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The three women described for the jury what prosecutors characterized as Weinstein’s signature pattern of behaviour: luring women to hotel rooms or his apartment to discuss film roles, then attacking them.

Weinstein’s lawyers had asked Burke during the trial to bar two of the three from testifying.

Jurors were instructed that the three women’s testimony could only be used as evidence of Weinstein’s intent, not propensity to commit sexual assault.

Weinstein said the third-degree rape charge should be dismissed because the alleged misconduct occurred too long ago, and a new trial should concern a single count of first-degree criminal sexual act.

Even if his conviction were overturned, Weinstein still faces charges including forcible rape in Los Angeles involving five alleged victims from 2004 to 2013. Weinstein faces up to 140 years in prison if convicted in that case.
 
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spaminator

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Harvey Weinstein extradition delayed again
Author of the article:WENN - World Entertainment News Network
Publishing date:Apr 12, 2021 • 17 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
In this file photo taken on February 18, 2020 Harvey Weinstein arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City.
In this file photo taken on February 18, 2020 Harvey Weinstein arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City. PHOTO BY JOHANNES EISELE /AFP via Getty Images
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Harvey Weinstein’s long delayed extradition hearing in upstate New York has been put on hold again.

A hearing about the disgraced filmmaker’s transfer from an East Coast correctional facility to Los Angeles to face more sexual assault claims against him has been pushed to April 30 due to objections by the incarcerated producer’s lawyer.


Sources tell Deadline Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon and his team are keen to fast-track a potential Weinstein trial.

Confirming the indictment during Monday’s hearing, Weinstein’s attorney, Norman Effman, said one of the charges against his client had been “changed somewhat.”

If found guilty in Los Angeles, Weinstein could face decades more behind bars. He faces four counts of rape, four counts of forcible oral copulation, one count of sexual penetration by use of force, and two counts of sexual battery by restraint.


“We’re not trying to avoid what is going to happen in California,” Effman added. “We believe there is not only a defence to these charges, we believe there is a very good defence to these charges (and) we believe there will be an acquittal… Mr. Weinstein isn’t going anywhere.”

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The producer watched the proceedings in a conference room from the maximum security Wende Correctional Facility near Buffalo, New York.

The hearing came a week after Weinstein filed an appeal on the 23-year sentence he began serving in March, 2020 after being found guilty of two sex crime felony charges.

Meanwhile, Weinstein’s lawyer argued against his client being sent to Los Angeles for “humanitarian” reasons, explaining the producer is technically blind, has major dental issues and is suffering from cardiac issues, diabetes, back pain, and sleep apnea.

For all of these reasons, Weinstein’s team asked the judge to allow him to remain at the medical unit he’s been confined to at the maximum-security prison, where he’s serving his sentence for rape.
 
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spaminator

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Harvey Weinstein extradition delayed, new challenge expected
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Jonathan Stempel
Publishing date:Apr 30, 2021 • 20 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
Film producer Harvey Weinstein departs Criminal Court on the first day of a sexual assault trial in the Manhattan borough of New York City, Jan. 6, 2020.
Film producer Harvey Weinstein departs Criminal Court on the first day of a sexual assault trial in the Manhattan borough of New York City, Jan. 6, 2020. PHOTO BY BRENDAN MCDERMID /REUTERS / FILES
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NEW YORK — California’s effort to extradite Harvey Weinstein on rape and sexual assault charges was delayed on Friday, and the convicted former movie producer will have another 30 days to challenge its latest effort to bring him to court.

Erie County Court Judge Kenneth Case said prosecutors could arrange for Weinstein’s transfer to Los Angeles on May 30.

But Weinstein’s lawyer Norman Effman said he intended to file a new legal challenge to the extradition, and Weinstein might also ask New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to intervene.

Weinstein wore a long-sleeve, button-down brown shirt as he watched the hearing quietly from the maximum security Wende Correctional Facility near Buffalo.

He is serving a 23-year prison term following his February 2020 conviction in Manhattan for sexually assaulting a production assistant in 2006, and third-degree rape of an aspiring actress in 2013.

Weinstein is appealing his conviction and sentence, and has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone.

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His conviction was seen as a watershed moment in the #MeToo movement against sexual abuse and harassment by men, including many with powerful jobs and influence.

A New York prosecutor, Colleen Curtin Gable, told Case that filing new extradition paperwork might speed up the process because Weinstein’s opposition to the earlier paperwork could result in “extended litigation.”

Gable appeared on behalf of the Los Angeles County District Attorney, who first sought Weinstein’s extradition last July.

Effman said prosecutors “have agreed to basically go back to Groundhog Day, and start the process over.”

Weinstein’s 11-count indictment in California concerns alleged attacks on five women from 2004 to 2013 in the Los Angeles area.

The charges include forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual battery by restraint, and sexual penetration by use of force.

If convicted, Weinstein could spend the rest of his life in prison. His lawyers have said they would expect an acquittal.

Weinstein, a diabetic, has suffered from cardiac, dental and back problems, and Effman has called him “almost technically blind.”
 
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spaminator

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Harvey Weinstein extradited to California to face second rape trial
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:Jul 20, 2021 • 5 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
Film producer Harvey Weinstein departs Criminal Court on the first day of a sexual assault trial in the Manhattan borough of New York City, Jan. 6, 2020.
Film producer Harvey Weinstein departs Criminal Court on the first day of a sexual assault trial in the Manhattan borough of New York City, Jan. 6, 2020. PHOTO BY BRENDAN MCDERMID /REUTERS / FILES
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LOS ANGELES — Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was extradited from New York to Los Angeles on Tuesday to face trial on rape and sexual assault charges.

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Weinstein was convicted in New York in February 2020 for sexual assault and rape and was sentenced to 23 years in prison.


In Los Angeles, he is wanted for trial on 11 charges of attacking five women from 2004 to 2013.

The Los Angeles charges include forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual battery by restraint, and sexual penetration by use of force. If convicted, Weinstein could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Los Angeles police said Weinstein had arrived in Los Angeles and “after being medically cleared for booking, he will be booked into custody with LA County Sheriffs.”


No date was given for his first appearance in court.

Weinstein, 69, is appealing his New York conviction and sentence, and has denied having nonconsensual sex with anyone.

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He had been fighting extradition on medical grounds, citing diabetes and cardiac, back and eyesight problems.

MORE ON THIS TOPIC

Rose McGowan arrives to speak to reporters outside New York Criminal Court on the first day of film producer Harvey Weinstein's sexual assault trial in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., January 6, 2020. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/File Photo ORG XMIT: FW1
Rose McGowan says she’d have more acting gigs if she wasn’t ‘blacklisted’ by Harvey Weinstein
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“We will be fighting so that Harvey can receive his needed medical care and of course, so that he can be treated fairly. Due process, presumption of innocence and a fair trial are all still his right,” his spokesman Juda Engelmayer said in a statement on Tuesday.

Weinstein was one of the most powerful movie and TV producers in Hollywood before allegations by more than 80 women of sexual misconduct in 2017 led to criminal charges and fueled the wider #MeToo movement.

He co-founded the Miramax film studio, whose hit movies included “Shakespeare in Love” and “Pulp Fiction.” His own eponymous film studio filed for bankruptcy in March 2018.
 

spaminator

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Harvey Weinstein pleads not guilty to sex crime charges in Los Angeles
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:Jul 21, 2021 • 10 hours ago • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
In this file photo taken on February 18, 2020 Harvey Weinstein arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City.
In this file photo taken on February 18, 2020 Harvey Weinstein arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City. PHOTO BY JOHANNES EISELE /AFP via Getty Images
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LOS ANGELES — Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of rape and sexual assault involving five women in Los Angeles ahead of a second trial.

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Weinstein, 69, arrived at Los Angeles Superior Court for his first appearance there in a wheelchair, wearing a brown jail uniform, after being extradited from New York on Tuesday where he was serving 23 years in prison for rape and other sexual offenses.


Weinstein has denied having nonconsensual sex with anyone and is appealing his 2020 New York conviction and sentence.

In Los Angeles, he faces 11 charges of attacking five women between 2004 to 2013. They include forcible rape, forcible oral copulation, sexual battery by restraint, and sexual penetration by use of force. If convicted, Weinstein could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Weinstein’s lawyer said there was no forensic evidence or credible witnesses to the allegations.

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“They are baseless, they are from long, long ago, they are uncorroborated,” Mark Werksman told reporters outside the courthouse.

“We are confident that if we can have a fair trial in this case that Mr Weinstein will be acquitted,” Werksman said.

After entering his not guilty plea through his attorney on Wednesday, Weinstein was ordered to remain in jail until the next hearing on July 29.


Werksman said he was seeking dismissal of three charges relating to 2004 and 2005 on the grounds that the 10 year statute of limitations in California has expired.

Weinstein, once one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, is accused of raping two women at hotels in Beverly Hills on separate occasions, and with sexually assaulting three other women in the Beverly Hills or Los Angeles areas, according to the charges.

He had been fighting extradition on medical grounds. Werksman said he was going blind in one eye and that he was unable to walk because of back problems.

More than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct going back decades but only a handful of the allegations have resulted in criminal charges.

He co-founded the Miramax film studio, whose hit movies included “Shakespeare in Love” and “Pulp Fiction.” His film studio filed for bankruptcy in March 2018.
 
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Harvey Weinstein loses bid to dismiss three L.A. sex crime charges
Author of the article:Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:Jul 29, 2021 • 6 hours ago • 1 minute read • Join the conversation
Harvey Weinstein, who was extradited from New York to Los Angeles to face sex-related charges, listens in court during a pre-trial hearing in Los Angeles, Thursday, July 29, 2021.
Harvey Weinstein, who was extradited from New York to Los Angeles to face sex-related charges, listens in court during a pre-trial hearing in Los Angeles, Thursday, July 29, 2021. PHOTO BY ETIENNE LAURENT/POOL /REUTERS
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LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles judge on Thursday rejected an attempt to throw out two sexual assault charges against former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, while prosecutors refiled a third charge that had also been challenged.

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Weinstein, 69, who was convicted of rape at a trial last year in New York, is facing a total of 11 new charges involving five women in the Beverly Hills and Los Angeles area between 2004-2013.


Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to the rape and sexual assault charges in Los Angeles and is appealing his New York conviction and 23-year prison sentence.

His attorneys on Thursday argued that three charges – rape, sexual battery and forcible oral copulation – should be thrown out on the grounds that the statute of limitations in California has expired.


The Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled against Weinstein on two of the counts. Prosecutors later amended and refiled the sexual battery charge, according to court documents.

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Weinstein, once one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, could face up to 140 years in prison if convicted on all 11 of the charges. A date for the trial has still to be set.

Weinstein’s legal team called the judge’s decision on Thursday a victory for the defense.

“It’s one thing to say, ok, we’re asking for leave to amend, it’s another thing to actually amend, to have the facts to amend. We don’t believe that those facts exist,” Alan Jackson, representing Weinstein, told reporters after the hearing.
 

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California governor's wife among accusers at Harvey Weinstein trial
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Andrew Dalton
Publishing date:Oct 10, 2022 • 16 hours ago • 3 minute read • Join the conversation

LOS ANGELES — Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and actor who is married to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, is among the accusers of Harvey Weinstein who will testify at his rape and sexual assault trial that began Monday, her attorney said.


“Like many other women, my client was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein at a purported business meeting that turned out to be a trap,” Newsom’s attorney Elizabeth Fegan said in a statement. “She intends to testify at his trial in order to seek some measure of justice for survivors, and as part of her life’s work to improve the lives of women.”


Weinstein, the 70-year-old former movie mogul who is serving a 23-year prison sentence after a conviction in New York, has pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of rape and sexual assault involving Newsom and four other women. All of them will testify as Jane Doe during the eight-week trial in a Los Angeles court, where jury selection began Monday.

The Associated Press does not normally name people who say they’ve been sexually abused, but Newsom agreed to be named through her attorney.


The news of her involvement was first reported by The Los Angeles Times.

Newsom, 48, appeared in small roles in dozens of films and television shows between 2002 and 2011. Recently she has directed documentaries including “The Great American Lie” in 2020 and “Fair Play” from this year. Both deal with gender in society.

She wrote about her experience with Weinstein in a 2017 essay in the Huffington Post after the New York Times and New Yorker stories made him a magnet of the #MeToo movement, but gave few details.

Weinstein, who is being held in a Los Angeles County jail, was brought Monday into court in a wheelchair through a side door, and climbed from it carefully into a seat next to one of his lawyers at the defense table. He was wearing a blue suit, which he is allowed to change into from his jail attire during the trial.


He stood with the rest of the room as the first panel of 67 prospective jurors were brought in, but sat down about halfway through the process. He waved at them from his seat when his lawyers introduced them.

The jurors were given a lengthy questionnaire intended to screen out those who need to be dismissed. Both the questions and answers on the forms are private, but previous hearings on its contents revealed that it contains questions on how much media coverage of Weinstein they have seen, and whether they have formed opinions from it, though the judge rejected questions on specific stories and media outlets.




The prosecution will be allowed to introduce as evidence parts of Weinstein’s conviction for rape and sexual assault, where the state’s highest court has agreed to hear his appeal.

The questionnaire also includes a question about a California law that says the testimony alone of a sexual assault victim can be sufficient evidence to convict if a juror believes them.

The jurors were also given a long list of names of witnesses in the coming trial, including those of the accusers to determine whether they have any connection to them. The initial witness list in the case had more than 270 names, though fewer than half that are expected. Most of the prospective witness list has not been made public.

One witness, Barbara Schneeweiss, a producer on “Project Runway” and other television shows, was present in court early Monday and was told by a judge she was on call to come in at any time.


Two more panels of up to 75 jurors will be brought in Tuesday and Wednesday. Questioning of individual jurors is not expected to begin until next week, and opening statements may not begin for two weeks.

The trial comes five years after women’s stories about Weinstein made the #MeToo movement explode.

Weinstein is charged with four counts of rape and seven other sexual assault counts.

Most of the incidents in his indictment, like Newsom’s, happened under the guise of business meetings at luxury hotels in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, which Weinstein used as his California headquarters and where he could be seen during awards season and throughout the year. Four of them occurred during Oscars week 2013, when Weinstein releases “Silver Linings Playbook” and “Django Unchained” would win Academy Awards.
 

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Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape in Los Angeles trial
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Andrew Dalton
Published Dec 19, 2022 • 4 minute read

LOS ANGELES — After a month-long trial and nine days of deliberations, Los Angeles jurors on Monday found Harvey Weinstein guilty of the rape and sexual assault of just one of the four accusers he was charged with abusing.


But the three guilty counts involving an Italian actor and model known at the trial as Jane Doe 1 still struck a major blow against the disgraced movie mogul, and provided another #MeToo moment of reckoning, five years after he became a magnet for the movement.


Weinstein, 70, who is two years into a 23-year sentence for a rape and sexual assault conviction in New York that is under appeal, could get up to 24 years in prison in California when he’s sentenced.

He was found guilty of rape, forced oral copulation and another sexual misconduct count involving the woman who said he appeared uninvited at her hotel room door during a Los Angeles film festival in 2013.

“Harvey Weinstein forever destroyed a part of me that night in 2013 and I will never get that back. The criminal trial was brutal and Weinstein’s lawyers put me through hell on the witness stand, but I knew I had to see this through to the end, and I did,” the woman said in a statement after the verdict. “I hope Weinstein never sees the outside of a prison cell during his lifetime.”


Weinstein was acquitted of a sexual battery allegation made by a massage therapist who treated him at a hotel in 2010.

The jury was unable to reach a decision on counts involving two accusers, notably rape and sexual assault charges involving Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and the wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. A mistrial was declared on those counts.

Weinstein looked down at the table and appeared to put his face in his hands when the initial guilty counts were read. He looked forward as the rest of the verdict was read.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys had no immediate comment on the verdict.

“Harvey Weinstein will never be able to rape another woman. He will spend the rest of his life behind bars where he belongs,” Siebel Newsom said in a statement. “Throughout the trial, Weinstein’s lawyers used sexism, misogyny, and bullying tactics to intimidate, demean, and ridicule us survivors. The trial was a stark reminder that we as a society have work to do.”


Siebel Newsom’s intense and dramatic testimony, in which she described being raped by Weinstein in a hotel room in 2005, brought the trial its most dramatic moments. But only eight of the 12 jurors agreed to find Weinstein guilty of those counts.

Jurors were deadlocked 10-2 on a sexual battery count involving Lauren Young, the only accuser who testified at both Weinstein trials. She said she was a model aspiring to be an actor and screenwriter who was meeting with Weinstein about a script in 2013 when he trapped her in a hotel bathroom, groped her and masturbated in front of her.

Lacking any forensic evidence or eyewitness accounts of years-old allegations, the case hinged heavily on the stories and credibility of the four women at the center of the charges.


The women’s stories echoed the allegations of dozens of others who have emerged since Weinstein became a #MeToo lightning rod starting with stories in the New York Times in 2017. A movie about that reporting, “She Said,” was released during the trial, and jurors were repeatedly warned not to see it.

It was the defense that made #MeToo an issue during the trial, however, emphasizing that none of the four women went to the authorities until after the movement made Weinstein a target.

Defense lawyers said two of the women — including the one he would be found guilty of raping — were entirely lying about their encounters with Weinstein. They said the other two had “100% consensual” sexual interactions that they later reframed.


Defense attorneys said during the trial that if Siebel Newsom hadn’t reached her later prominence she would be “just another bimbo who slept with Harvey Weinstein to get ahead in Hollywood.”

“Regret is not the same thing as rape,” Weinstein attorney Alan Jackson said in his closing argument.

He urged jurors to look past the the women’s emotional testimony and focus on the factual evidence.

“‘Believe us because we’re mad, believe us because we cried,”’ Jackson said jurors were being asked to do. “Well, fury does not make fact. And tears do not make truth.”

All the women involved in the charges went by Jane Doe in court. The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly or agree to be named through their attorneys, as the women named here did.


Prosecutors called 40 other witnesses in an attempt to give context and corroboration to those stories. Four were other women who were not part of the charges but testified that Weinstein raped or sexually assaulted them. They were brought to the stand to establish a pattern of sexual predation.

Weinstein beat four other felony charges before the trial even ended when prosecutors said a woman he was charged with raping twice and sexually assaulting twice would not appear to testify. They declined to give a reason. Judge Lisa Lench dismissed those charges.

Weinstein’s latest conviction hands a victory to victims of sexual misconduct of famous men in the wake of some legal setbacks, including the dismissal of Bill Cosby’s conviction last year. The rape trial of “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson, held simultaneously and just down the hall from Weinstein’s, ended in a mistrial. And actor Kevin Spacey was victorious at a sexual battery civil trial in New York last month.

Weinstein’s New York conviction survived an initial appeal, but the case is set to be heard by the state’s highest court next year. The California conviction, also likely to be appealed, means he will not walk free even if the East Coast conviction is thrown out.
 

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Harvey Weinstein dodges sentencing enhancement, faces 18 years
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Andrew Dalton
Published Dec 20, 2022 • 1 minute read

LOS ANGELES — Harvey Weinstein faces a shorter prison sentence in California after a Los Angeles jury failed to reach a verdict on whether the disgraced mogul planned his attack on a woman he was convicted of raping.


Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa Lench declared a mistrial on the issue Tuesday after the panel reported it could not agree on special allegations that Weinstein planned his assault on a model-actor in 2013, and whether she was “particularly vulnerable.”


If the jury had found that either circumstance applied, Weinstein would have faced an enhanced maximum term of 24 years when he is sentenced next year. Tuesday’s development means Weinstein, who was convicted of rape and sexual assault charges a day earlier, will face up to 18 years in prison.

Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence after being convicted of rape and sexual assault in New York in 2020. He is appealing that sentence, as he will likely do with the California verdict.

Weinstein was charged with raping or sexually assaulting four women, but after a monthlong trial, was only convicted of charges based on one woman’s allegations. Jurors acquitted Weinstein of charges based on another woman’s account, and were unable to reach a verdict on two other women’s allegations.

The panel was brought back Tuesday to hear arguments on the special circumstances allegation. Lench will hold a hearing Jan. 9 to determine the next steps in the case.