Prosecutor paints former Hollywood mogul Weinstein as 'a rapist'

NEW YORK (Reuters) – New York prosecutors began making their rape case against Harvey Weinstein on Wednesday, describing the former movie producer as a Hollywood power broker who was “no match” for his female accusers.

“The man seated right there was not just a titan in Hollywood, he was a rapist,” Assistant District Attorney Meghan Hast said during opening statements before a jury in Manhattan criminal court.

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.

The trial is a watershed moment for the #MeToo movement, in which women have gone public with allegations against powerful men in business and politics.

One of Weinstein’s lawyers, Damon Cheronis, said on Tuesday he intended to tell jurors in his opening statement that Weinstein’s accusers sent him “dozens of loving emails” and “bragged” about their sexual relationships with him.

Before Wednesday’s proceedings got underway, Weinstein exited a white sports utility vehicle with help from two members of his team, one carrying the walker that Weinstein has used for recent court appearances as he recovers from recent back surgery.

During the prosecution’s opening statements, Weinstein sat quietly at the defense table, occasionally sipping water from a clear plastic cup or writing on a legal pad.

Around 100 people were packed into the courtroom, including Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance.

Since 2017, more than 80 women including many famous actresses have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct.

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”.

The trial began on Jan. 6 and could last about six more weeks.

The scene outside the court was relatively quiet. Recent demonstrations against sexual harassment prompted Weinstein’s legal team to make a failed bid to change the venue due to the “carnival-like atmosphere” at the courthouse.

‘SMALL AND INSIGNIFICANT’

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.

“The women internalized their trauma for years,” Hast said during her opening statement. “Each feeling small and insignificant, no match for the power broker in Hollywood Harvey Weinstein had become.”

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.

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.

The state needs a unanimous jury to convict. A single holdout 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.