A new trial for former film producer Harvey Weinstein on charges of rape and sexual assault begins, a New York court had previously convicted him in a similar case, and five years after the start of the "MeToo" wave that revealed about his attacks .
The 70-year-old producer of "Pulp Fiction" is serving a 23-year prison sentence imposed in 2020 for sexual assault and rape in New York.
In the new trial, which will be held in Los Angeles, the city where he wielded significant influence in Hollywood, he faces charges from five women of raping or sexually assaulting them in hotels between 2004 and 2013.
The trial, which is supposed to last two months, begins Monday, with the selection of the jury members. In July 2021, Weinstein pleaded his innocence during pre-trial hearings in Los Angeles court, which he attended in his wheelchair and wearing a brown prisoner uniform.
In the event that a decision is issued to convict the former Hollywood mogul, he may be up to 140 years in prison in addition to his sentence in New York, in which the American judiciary rejected an appeal submitted by the producer in this regard . Weinstein is also accused in the UK of sexual assault dating back to 1996.
Accusations of sexual assault and harassment against Weinstein began to surface in 2017, while his conviction in March 2020 in New York was an important victory for the "MeToo" movement.
In all, about 90 women, including stars Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rosanna Arquette, have accused former producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment or assault. However, a number of these incidents, some of which date back to 1977, have become obsolete.The former producer had consistently asserted that sexual relations with these women were obtained with their consent.
In July 2021, his defense attorney, Mark Werksman, told reporters that the claims against him were "unsubstantiated, unreliable, and unfounded," noting that there was no reliable evidence or witnesses to support these accusations.
During his trial in New York, the prosecution team appealed to the jury to believe the words of the victims without providing any forensic evidence and without calling any witnesses to testify.
Among the most prominent charges brought against Weinstein in California are the rape of an Italian model in a Beverly Hills hotel in February 2013, and the sexual assault of actress Lauren Young in another hotel bathroom.
Young, who was the only one whose identity was not kept secret in the case, had previously testedified during the New York trial.And the attorney for a number of victims stressed last year that a new trial in Los Angeles was necessary for the victims, Noting that these victims "have not yet been able" to bring their cases to justice.
Since Weinstein´s fall, the cases of sexual violence addressed by the "MeToo" movement have brought to light a large number of accusations that have led to several trials.
Actor Kevin Spacey, for example, is being tried in New York in a civil lawsuit brought by American actor Anthony Rapp, accusing him of sexual assault on him in 1986 when he was 14.
Weinstein´s new trial coincides with the premiere of "She Seid" , which will be held next week at the New York Film Festival, and the work deals with the investigation conducted by the New York Times journalist into Weinstein´s sexual assaults.
Before his fall Weinstein had a huge influence in Hollywood. At the end of the seventies of the last century, he founded the Miramax production company with his brother, and it was sold to Disney in 1993, then they launched the Weinstein Company, which achieved great successes, including the movie "Inglourious Basterds" by American director Quentin Tarantino.
Weinstein´s films have received more than 300 Academy Award nominations over the years, winning 81 of them.
A new trial for Harvey Weinstein begins Monday in Los Angeles
