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Weinstein, 70, is currently serving a 23-year
sentence for sex crimes in New York. In Los Angeles, he is
facing 11 charges of rape and sexual assault involving five
women in the Beverly Hills and Los Angeles area between 2004 and
2013. He has pleaded not guilty.
Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker, actor and wife
of California Governor Gavin Newsom, is one of Weinstein's
accusers in the California case. Siebel Newsom is expected to
testify that Weinstein sexually assaulted her during what she
thought was going to be a business meeting, according to her
attorney, Elizabeth Fegan.
The identities of the other accusers are being kept secret in
court documents, which refer to them as Jane Does 1 through 5.
Weinstein has said all of his sexual encounters with women were
consensual.
One potential witness against Weinstein is actor Mel Gibson, who
prosecutors said was a friend of one of the accusers.
Weinstein, the Oscar-winning producer of "Shakespeare in Love"
and "The King's Speech," was convicted of sexual misconduct in
New York in February 2020. Allegations against him helped fuel
the #MeToo movement of women speaking out about harassment and
abuse by men in Hollywood and beyond.
Weinstein was extradited from New York to a Los Angeles prison
in July 2021. Now in declining health, he was seated in a
wheelchair during jury selection in Los Angeles Superior Court.
In New York, Weinstein is appealing his conviction and 23-year
prison sentence. He could face up to 140 years in prison if
convicted on all 11 of the charges in Los Angeles.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
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