#MeToo: California governor’s spouse amongst accusers at Harvey Weinstein’s trial

By Associated Press

LOS ANGELES: Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and actor who’s married to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, is among the many accusers of Harvey Weinstein who will testify at his rape and sexual assault trial that started Monday, her lawyer stated.

“Like many other women, my client was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein at a purported business meeting that turned out to be a trap,” Newsom’s lawyer Elizabeth Fegan stated in an announcement. “She intends to testify at his trial in order to seek some measure of justice for survivors, and as part of her life’s work to improve the lives of women.”

Weinstein, the 70-year-old former film mogul who’s serving a 23-year jail sentence after a conviction in New York, has pleaded not responsible to 11 counts of rape and sexual assault involving Newsom and 4 different ladies. All of them will testify as Jane Doe through the eight-week trial in a Los Angeles courtroom, the place jury choice started Monday.

The Associated Press doesn’t usually title individuals who say they have been sexually abused, however Newsom agreed to be named via her lawyer.

The information of her involvement was first reported by The Los Angeles Times.

Newsom, 48, appeared in small roles in dozens of movies and tv reveals between 2002 and 2011. Recently she has directed documentaries together with “The Great American Lie” in 2020 and “Fair Play” from this yr. Both cope with gender in society.

READ HERE | Ex Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein goes on trial in LA, the place he as soon as reigned

She wrote about her expertise with Weinstein in a 2017 essay within the Huffington Post after the New York Times and New Yorker tales made him a magnet of the #MeToo motion, however gave few particulars.

Weinstein, who’s being held in a Los Angeles County jail, was introduced Monday into courtroom in a wheelchair via a aspect door, and climbed from it fastidiously right into a seat subsequent to one in all his legal professionals on the protection desk. He was sporting a blue go well with, which he’s allowed to vary into from his jail apparel through the trial.

He stood with the remainder of the room as the primary panel of 67 potential jurors have been introduced in, however sat down about midway via the method. He waved at them from his seat when his legal professionals launched them.

The jurors got a prolonged questionnaire supposed to display screen out those that should be dismissed. Both the questions and solutions on the kinds are personal, however earlier hearings on its contents revealed that it comprises questions on how a lot media protection of Weinstein they’ve seen, and whether or not they have fashioned opinions from it, although the choose rejected questions on particular tales and media shops.

The prosecution will probably be allowed to introduce as proof components of Weinstein’s conviction for rape and sexual assault, the place the state’s highest courtroom has agreed to listen to his attraction.

The questionnaire additionally features a query a few California regulation that claims the testimony alone of a sexual assault sufferer could be ample proof to convict if a juror believes them.

The jurors have been additionally given an extended checklist of names of witnesses within the coming trial, together with these of the accusers to find out whether or not they have any connection to them. The preliminary witness checklist within the case had greater than 270 names, although fewer than half which can be anticipated. Most of the potential witness checklist has not been made public.

One witness, Barbara Schneeweiss, a producer on “Project Runway” and different tv reveals, was current in courtroom early Monday and was instructed by a choose she was on name to return in at any time.

Two extra panels of as much as 75 jurors will probably be introduced in Tuesday and Wednesday. Questioning of particular person jurors shouldn’t be anticipated to start till subsequent week, and opening statements might not start for 2 weeks.

The trial comes 5 years after ladies’s tales about Weinstein made the #MeToo motion explode.
Weinstein is charged with 4 counts of rape and 7 different sexual assault counts.

Most of the incidents in his indictment, like Newsom’s, occurred underneath the guise of enterprise conferences at luxurious accommodations in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, which Weinstein used as his California headquarters and the place he may very well be seen throughout awards season and all year long. Four of them occurred throughout Oscars week 2013, when Weinstein releases “Silver Linings Playbook” and “Django Unchained” would win Academy Awards.

LOS ANGELES: Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and actor who’s married to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, is among the many accusers of Harvey Weinstein who will testify at his rape and sexual assault trial that started Monday, her lawyer stated.

“Like many other women, my client was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein at a purported business meeting that turned out to be a trap,” Newsom’s lawyer Elizabeth Fegan stated in an announcement. “She intends to testify at his trial in order to seek some measure of justice for survivors, and as part of her life’s work to improve the lives of women.”

Weinstein, the 70-year-old former film mogul who’s serving a 23-year jail sentence after a conviction in New York, has pleaded not responsible to 11 counts of rape and sexual assault involving Newsom and 4 different ladies. All of them will testify as Jane Doe through the eight-week trial in a Los Angeles courtroom, the place jury choice started Monday.

The Associated Press doesn’t usually title individuals who say they have been sexually abused, however Newsom agreed to be named via her lawyer.

The information of her involvement was first reported by The Los Angeles Times.

Newsom, 48, appeared in small roles in dozens of movies and tv reveals between 2002 and 2011. Recently she has directed documentaries together with “The Great American Lie” in 2020 and “Fair Play” from this yr. Both cope with gender in society.

READ HERE | Ex Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein goes on trial in LA, the place he as soon as reigned

She wrote about her expertise with Weinstein in a 2017 essay within the Huffington Post after the New York Times and New Yorker tales made him a magnet of the #MeToo motion, however gave few particulars.

Weinstein, who’s being held in a Los Angeles County jail, was introduced Monday into courtroom in a wheelchair via a aspect door, and climbed from it fastidiously right into a seat subsequent to one in all his legal professionals on the protection desk. He was sporting a blue go well with, which he’s allowed to vary into from his jail apparel through the trial.

He stood with the remainder of the room as the primary panel of 67 potential jurors have been introduced in, however sat down about midway via the method. He waved at them from his seat when his legal professionals launched them.

The jurors got a prolonged questionnaire supposed to display screen out those that should be dismissed. Both the questions and solutions on the kinds are personal, however earlier hearings on its contents revealed that it comprises questions on how a lot media protection of Weinstein they’ve seen, and whether or not they have fashioned opinions from it, although the choose rejected questions on particular tales and media shops.

The prosecution will probably be allowed to introduce as proof components of Weinstein’s conviction for rape and sexual assault, the place the state’s highest courtroom has agreed to listen to his attraction.

The questionnaire additionally features a query a few California regulation that claims the testimony alone of a sexual assault sufferer could be ample proof to convict if a juror believes them.

The jurors have been additionally given an extended checklist of names of witnesses within the coming trial, together with these of the accusers to find out whether or not they have any connection to them. The preliminary witness checklist within the case had greater than 270 names, although fewer than half which can be anticipated. Most of the potential witness checklist has not been made public.

One witness, Barbara Schneeweiss, a producer on “Project Runway” and different tv reveals, was current in courtroom early Monday and was instructed by a choose she was on name to return in at any time.

Two extra panels of as much as 75 jurors will probably be introduced in Tuesday and Wednesday. Questioning of particular person jurors shouldn’t be anticipated to start till subsequent week, and opening statements might not start for 2 weeks.

The trial comes 5 years after ladies’s tales about Weinstein made the #MeToo motion explode.
Weinstein is charged with 4 counts of rape and 7 different sexual assault counts.

Most of the incidents in his indictment, like Newsom’s, occurred underneath the guise of enterprise conferences at luxurious accommodations in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, which Weinstein used as his California headquarters and the place he may very well be seen throughout awards season and all year long. Four of them occurred throughout Oscars week 2013, when Weinstein releases “Silver Linings Playbook” and “Django Unchained” would win Academy Awards.