More than two years after the accusations that launched the #MeToo movement, Harvey Weinstein faces justice. After the selection of the jury last week, we will get into the thick of the debates this Wednesday with the start of the pleadings. Accused of sexual assault and rape by two women, the ousted producer faces life in a trial that is expected to last approximately six weeks.
What is Harvey Weinstein accused of?
If Harvey Weinstein was accused by more than 80 women during the #MeToo wave, he is tried in New York for two alleged facts, a sexual assault and a rape. Five charges were retained. The most serious, "predatory sexual assault", which covers in particular sexual assaults in which the victims were injured or threatened, is punishable by life imprisonment.
Who are the two women who accuse him?
The identity of the woman who claims to have been raped by Harvey Weinstein in a hotel room in New York in 2013 has remained confidential. The other accuser is Mimi Haleyi. This former production assistant claims that Weinstein forced her to cunnilingus in her apartment in New York in July 2006, although she refused his advances several times.
Who will be the witnesses?
Sopranos actress Annabella Sciorra will be one of the main witnesses against Harvey Weinstein. She accuses the rape producer, and if the facts are prescribed, the judge allowed her testimony to give the prosecutor a chance to prove "sexual predator" behavior. Three other accusers whose identity is not known could testify, as was the case during the trial of Bill Cosby.
Who is the jury?
Twelve people make up the jury, seven men and five women. Defense lawyers have almost systematically failed white women - according to the prosecutor, for fear that they identify with the accusers and show bias.
What will be his defense?
Harvey Weinstein claims that all of the sex he had had been consented. On Tuesday, the judge ruled in favor of the defense, which will have the right to quote emails and text messages sent to it by the accusers. The woman who accused him of rape had a romantic relationship with him, according to the defense. "I hope I can meet you today", "I can have lunch if you have time", she would have written a month after the alleged events, in 2013. "I love you, always. But I hate having the impression of being an asshole, "she would have written in an email dated February 8, 2017.
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