Harvey Weinstein convicted on three charges of sexual assault in LA trial; 5 things to know about the case

Content Warning: This article includes references to sexual abuse

Disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of three of seven charges against him, including rape and sexual assault on Monday in the Los Angeles trial. Following the conviction, he faces a possible sentence of 24 years in prison, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office as reported by CNN. The former producer was found guilty of three charges that were filed against him by a model and actress who testified about Weinstein’s assault in a Beverly Hills hotel room in February 2013.

Havey Weinstein’s LA trial verdict

As reported by CNN, the verdict was reached as jurors entered their third week of deliberations. The Los Angeles jury deliberated longer than the New York jury in Weinstein’s first criminal trial in 2020, in which he was convicted of criminal sex act and third-degree rape for which he has already been serving a 23-year sentence. The trial in Los Angeles also included testimony from the four accusers identified as Jane Does. Among other witnesses in the court trial included experts, law enforcement, friends of accusers and also former aides to Weinstein.

Accuser’s statement on Weinstein’s conviction

As reported by Variety, Jane Doe #1 thanked the prosecution and released a statement on his conviction saying, “Harvey Weinstein forever destroyed a part of me that night in 2013 and I will never get that back. The criminal trial was brutal and Weinstein’s lawyers put me through hell on the witness stand, but I knew I had to see this through to the end, and I did… I hope Weinstein never sees the outside of a prison cell during his lifetime.” 

The jury acquitted the disgraced producer of the felony sexual battery of a massage therapist, identified as Jane Doe #3. Weinstein was tried on seven charges in total by three accusers which included, two counts of forcible rape, two counts of sexual battery by restraint, two counts of forcible oral copulation, and one count of penetration by a foreign object. The producer’s attorneys have not commented as of yet. Also, as per reports, no sentencing date has been set.

Jane Doe 1’s testimony in court

A woman, identified as Jane Doe 1 in court, was the first to testify in the trial. Detailing the incidents under which she filed charges against Weinstein, the accuser said in court in her three-day testimony in November that she was assaulted by Weinstein during a business trip in Los Angeles. She was a VIP guest attending the Los Angeles Italia Film Festival and claimed in her testimony that the alleged incident occurred at her hotel, Mr C Beverly Hills when Weinstein showed up in the middle of the night and forced his way into her room unannounced. Breaking down during her emotional testimony, the accuser said, “I was panicking and started crying … He didn’t care. I wanted to die. It was disgusting. It was humiliating”, via Variety. 

California’s first lady issues a statement

California’s first lady, Jennifer Siebel Newsom said in a statement on Monday after the verdict, “Throughout the trial, Weinstein’s lawyers used sexism, misogyny, and bullying tactics to intimidate, demean, and ridicule us, survivors. The trial was a stark reminder that we as a society have work to do.” Siebel Newsom had given an emotional testimony in the case stating that she was a documentary filmmaker when she was raped by Weinstein in a hotel room in 2005.

Weinstein’s New York Conviction

In 2020, the former producer was convicted of rape and criminal sexual assault in New York, though he was acquitted of the two most serious charges related to predatory sexual assault. He still has 21 years left to serve in prison from his New York conviction. 

(If you know someone who is struggling with abuse, please reach out and report about it. There are several helplines available for the same.)