Harvey Weinstein: found guilty in Los Angeles of three sexual assaults

A split verdict for Harvey Weinstein: the former Hollywood producer was found guilty on Monday, December 19 of rape and two sexual assaults at the end of his trial in Los Angeles, only half of the charges for which he was prosecuted. After 2 weeks of deliberation, the jurors found him guilty of all charges brought by the first of the four accusers. They found him not guilty regarding those of a second woman, and did not issue a verdict regarding the allegations made by the other two. The 70-year-old former "king" of cinema is already serving a 23-year prison sentence after his conviction in New York in 2020 for similar acts. After the Los Angeles verdict, he faces up to an additional twenty-four years behind bars.

During this new trial, these four women accused the producer in great detail of forcing them to have sex in hotels in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles between 2004 and 2013. A fifth finally refused to testify. After weeks of grueling hearings, the prosecution portrayed Harvey Weinstein as an all-powerful ogre, a "predator" whose stranglehold on Hollywood had long prevented his victims from speaking out for fear of repercussions on their careers.

The verdict of this new trial in Los Angeles was particularly important for the ex-producer; because, after an initial refusal of justice, the New York Supreme Court finally authorized him in August to appeal his 2020 conviction, an initial decision which had been a major victory for the #MeToo movement. Combative, his defense systematically questioned the word of the four accusers during the trial and insisted on the lack of material evidence and forensic elements.

In total, nearly 90 women, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rosanna Arquette, have accused Harvey Weinstein of harassment, sexual assault or rape. But the statute of limitations has been exceeded in many of these cases, some dating back to 1977. The ex-producer is also charged in the United Kingdom with sexual assaults which date back to 1996.