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Lawyers will make their opening statements to a
jury of seven men and five women in a Manhattan courthouse.
Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting
two women. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of the
most serious charge, predatory sexual assault.
His trial began on Jan. 6 and could last roughly six more weeks.
Since 2017, more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual
misconduct, fueling the #MeToo movement in which women have gone
public with allegations against powerful men in business,
entertainment and politics.
Weinstein, who reshaped the independent film industry with
critically acclaimed pictures such as "The English Patient" and
"Shakespeare in Love," has denied the allegations and said any
sexual encounters were consensual.
Justice James Burke told potential jurors last week that they
must decide Weinstein's case based on the evidence and not make
the trial "a referendum on the #MeToo movement."
Prosecutors are expected to paint Weinstein as a serial predator
who abused his power, while the defense is expected to try to
show accusers' behavior seems to contradict how victims would
react to an assault.
One of the two main accusers in the Weinstein case, former
production assistant Mimi Haleyi, has said publicly that
Weinstein forced oral sex on her in his Manhattan home in 2006.
The other, who has not been identified, was raped by Weinstein
in 2013, alleges the Manhattan District Attorney's office, which
brought the case.
The prosecutors further allege that Weinstein raped another
woman, actress Annabella Sciorra, in the 1990s. Although that
allegation is too old to be charged as a separate crime, it will
be presented to help establish Weinstein's pattern of behavior
as part of the case for predatory sexual assault.
Prosecutors are expected to call up to three additional women,
who are not mentioned in the charges, to bolster their case,
according to court papers. A similar legal strategy helped
Pennsylvania prosecutors convict comedian Bill Cosby in 2018 of
sexually assaulting a Temple University employee.
Donna Rotunno, Weinstein's lead lawyer, told Reuters earlier
this month that the defense team would offer emails showing that
Weinstein's accusers had maintained friendly relationships with
him after the alleged assaults.
Legal experts said lawyers for Weinstein could try to show that
the accusers engaged in consensual sexual activity in order to
gain an edge in the entertainment industry.
Prosecutors last week accused Weinstein's legal team of trying
to exclude white women from the jury, which is comprised of six
white men, three black women, one black man and two white women.
Weinstein's lawyers countered that their goal was to select a
fair jury, citing specific reasons for excluding the women.
The state needs a unanimous jury to convict. A single hold-out
would produce a hung jury, although that would not prevent
prosecutors from trying Weinstein again.
Regardless of the outcome, Weinstein faces additional charges in
California.
Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced on Jan. 6
that Weinstein had been charged with raping one woman and
sexually assaulting another in 2013.
(Reporting by Brendan Pierson; Writing by Tom Hals; Editing by
Noeleen Walder and Rosalba O'Brien)
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