The past few years have been a watershed moment for women, prompted by the 2017 New York Times’ investigation of disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein. Over 100 women are reported to have come forward with accusations of sexual misconduct against Weinstein since.
The multiple reports of not only harassing female employees, but also paying off his accusers for decades, are said to date back 30 years, with the revelations leading to Weinstein getting fired from his own company and a third of its all-male board resigning – not to mention, prompting the global #MeToo and #TimesUp movements.
Five years later, Harvey Weinstein is facing a new trial, starting in Los Angeles on Monday this week.
The trial will see eight women testify against Weinstein, who is facing four charges of rape and seven counts of sexual assault.
The 70-year-old is already currently serving 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault, and if he is found guilty of his second trial's charges, his sentence could be extended to up to 140 years.
Opening statements began on Monday, with eight women expected to testify in the trial, which is predicted to last six to eight weeks.
The first of the eight witnesses gave her testimony this week, with the model and actor accusing Weinstein of raping her in 2013.
The alleged incident is reported to have taken place in her hotel room, with the witness testifying that Weinstein unexpectedly turned up at her hotel room late night in February of that year, following the Los Angeles Italia film festival.
According to her testimony, Weinstein quickly became sexually aggressive, alleging that he forced her to perform oral sex and took her into the bathroom to rape her.
“I wanted to die,” the witness stated this week when detailing the alleged assault. “It was disgusting. It was humiliating.”
A further seven women are expected to testify in the trial, including Jennifer Siebel Newsom, now the wife of California governor Gavin Newsom, who has accused Weinstein or raping her in an LA hotel room in 2005, when she was an actress.
We will continue to update this story.
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