It all began in October 2017 with a report in the New York Times magazine. In the report, Harvey Weinstein was accused by several women of sexual harassment. He was also accused of creating a "toxic environment" for women within his company The Weinstein company.

That report became the starting point for the entire metoo movement and the wave of accusations of sexual harassment. As a result, he was dismissed by his wife before the turn of the year to 2018, dismissed from his own company and excluded from the Academy of Oscars. In addition, he was under investigation for crimes in New York, London and Los Angeles.

million Settlement

Since October 2017, Harvey Weinstein has been accused of sexually assaulting over 80 different women, including several famous actors.

In mid-December, news came out that Weinstein and his former film company had made up some 30 women. The settlement included $ 25 million, equivalent to SEK 235 million, with the majority being compensation to the women for withdrawing the charges.

A week later, however, one of the women announced that she is withdrawing and submitting a civil lawsuit. The reason was that Weinstein did not have to admit his actions.

Prosecuted in two cases - denies the crime

Monday is the first trial in New York. Weinstein is charged in two cases, one of which is a rape of a woman in 2006 and the other of sexual assault of another woman in 2013. Formally, there are five charges.

Many of the other incidents are prescriptive or are not considered substantiated enough to lead to a conviction.

Weinstein denies all accusations and believes that all sexual contact has occurred with consent. If convicted on the most serious charges, such as rape, he can be sentenced to life imprisonment.

The trial is expected to last between six and eight weeks, TT writes.