Harvey Weinstein’s defense told the jury that there was absolutely no evidence against his client, and that every woman who will testify at the trial is an actress to play a role on the stand – all characterized to fit the #MeToo narrative. as the “asteroid” of a motion “exploding like a supernova” with Weinstein as the poster child.
Weinstein’s lawyer, Mark Werksman, told jurors that they should prepare to hear “a firestorm of false and unprovable allegations” from women who agreed to have consensual sex with Weinstein but years later are now embarrassed and lied about what really happened.
“Look at my client,” Werksman said, pointing to Weinstein. “He’s not Brad Pitt or George Clooney. Do you think these beautiful women had sex with him because he was sexy? No, because he’s strong.”
Weinstein’s lawyer told the jury that Hollywood has changed today, but back then, “transactional sex” was of course equal. “For rich and powerful men like my client, sex was a commodity,” Weinstein’s lawyer said, and even got his own nickname: the gaming chair.
“Procedural sex … can be unpleasant … and now it’s embarrassing,” Werksman said. “[But] everyone did. He did. They did.”
Weinstein’s lawyer said the #MeToo movement was like a movie that turned Weinstein into “Hollywood’s Chernobyl”, putting him in the “smoldering radioactive” role of the “bad guy”.
And women? “The continuation of the participation seat is the #MeToo case,” Weinstein’s defense said. “They will be playing the role of the damsel in distress with this beast.”
“They have to lie to themselves, to you, to this court,” Werksman told the jury. “Their hypocrisy will be exposed in full view.”
Earlier in the day, the prosecution painted a completely different picture of Weinstein, telling the jury that the former Hollywood producer and already convicted rapist was a serial predator who had used his business meetings to sexually abuse women for decades. The assistant prosecutor explained to jurors that Weinstein’s power enabled him to take advantage by attacking and harassing promising individuals in the entertainment industry, which in turn scared them of Weinstein’s retaliation. In the opening speech of the prosecutor, quotations from the women who will testify at the trial were presented to the jury, and allegations of forced oral sex, hand abuse, caressing and rape were shared.
When the defense faced the jury, they urged the jury to use their “common sense” and realize that no forensic evidence such as a police report, rape kit, DNA, semen sample or surveillance video of any criminal activity is supported. women’s accusations. “Each one of them will boil to ‘believe me’,” Weinstein’s lawyer said of the victims. “If an accuser waits years, the claim is based on his word.” (The prosecution plans to bring in a forensic psychiatrist to serve as an expert witness to educate the jury on “rape myths” that may explain some of these behaviors identified in Weinstein’s defense.)
Werksman shared a side of Weinstein that the prosecutor didn’t have, and his lawyer, instead of focusing on his power in Hollywood, refocused on Weinstein’s humble beginnings and told the jury he wasn’t born with a “silver spoon” in his mouth. His lawyer said he worked hard to create success for himself and urged the jurors not to be distracted by private jets and stories of celebrity parties. “Enormous fame and fortune, the fame of fortune-seekers has come,” his lawyer said, categorizing the women as “having consensual sex with Mr. Weinstein because they want to exploit their connection with Mr. value.”
During the keynote speeches, Weinstein’s attorney spent most of his time focusing on Jane Doe #4, who turned out to be actress and director Jennifer Siebel Newsom, married to California Governor Gavin Newsom, who accused Weinstein of raping her in a hotel room. 2005. It has become a leading voice against sexual harassment and assault in recent years.
“He has made himself a leading figure in the #MeToo movement,” Werksman said, listing his current achievements and California’s First Partner status. But in the early 2000s, when Siebel Newsom was an aspiring actress and filmmaker, Weinstein’s lawyer says she was a “Hollywood wannabe”.
Werksman told the jury that during the alleged rape in 2005, Siebel Newsom faked an orgasm to quickly end the attack. Weinstein’s lawyer said there was no more “aspirational checkmark” than “yes, yes, yes”—so, “Mr. Weinstein believed he consented.”
Weinstein’s lawyer also noted that Weinstein is a major donor to the Democratic Party and has contributed money to Gavin Newsom over the years. He stated that in 2007, when Newsom was mayor of San Francisco, Weinstein invited the couple to one of his parties. “She brought her husband to meet and party with her rapist. Who does that?” Werksman said. “He took money from his wife’s rapist for his political campaigns.”
If Siebel Newsom didn’t have her current place in politics today, “She’d be another slut sleeping with Harvey Weinstein to get ahead,” Werksman said.