Harvey Weinstein's Trial Has Begun. Here's What You Need To Know.
In a few weeks, Harvey Weinstein could be handed down a life sentence.
As his rape trial began in earnest on Wednesday, it remained an open question how the former Hollywood mogul would answer for the kind of accusations that kicked off the Me Too movement more than two years ago. Prosecutors have spent almost the same amount of time building a case against Weinstein in New York state, where he currently stands accused of multiple counts of rape.
Opening statements from both sides followed a weekslong jury selection process that was, at times, quite tense. Almost right from the start, Weinstein sparked anger from New York State Supreme Court Judge James Burke for appearing in court with four cellphones in violation of a no-phone rule that applied to everyone in the room. Despite Weinstein’s attorney’s best efforts to get a new judge and a new venue by claiming that the current ones were hopelessly biased, the trial will proceed as planned in lower Manhattan.
Yet Weinstein was optimistic before the first day of arguments.
“I have good lawyers,” he bragged as he headed into the room with physical assistance from his team.
In court, prosecutors began giving a broad overview of the sexual misconduct accusations that spanned Weinstein’s decadeslong career, along with graphic details of the specific allegations that brought him there. Underscoring the weight of the allegations, prosecutor Meghan Hast told jurors that Weinstein was “not just a titan in Hollywood ― he was a rapist.”
“It is for his complete lack of empathy that he must be held accountable,” Hast said.
Here’s what you need to know about the case.
What is Weinstein accused of doing?
The case centers on two women and two separate incidents.
On March 18, 2013, aspiring actress Jessica Mann says Weinstein trapped her at a DoubleTree hotel in midtown Manhattan and raped her. Court documents state that Weinstein held her “physically against her will in a room and engaged in...
