New York prosecutor says former movie producer Weinstein abused his power

[rooster59]

New York prosecutor says former movie producer Weinstein abused his power

By Brendan Pierson

 

Film producer Harvey Weinstein and lawyer Donna Rotunno depart New York Criminal Court during his ongoing sexual assault trial in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., February 14, 2020. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York prosecutors told jurors that Harvey Weinstein abused his power and pushed back against claims by the former Hollywood producer's defense team that his accusers were not credible.

 

Setting the stage for the jury to begin deliberating next week in Weinstein's weeks-long sexual assault trial, Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi said Weinstein, 67, had counted on his victims never coming forward.

 

"The defendant not only ran roughshod over the dignity and the very lives of these witnesses, but he also underestimated them," she said.

 

The trial is a milestone for the #MeToo movement, in which women have accused powerful men in business, entertainment, media and politics of sexual misconduct.

 

Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to sexually assaulting former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006 and raping Jessica Mann, a onetime aspiring actress, in 2013.

 

Justice James Burke is expected to give the jury legal instructions on Tuesday morning, after which they will begin deliberating.

 

Since 2017, more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct.

 

The former producer, who was behind films including "The English Patient" and "Shakespeare in Love," has denied any nonconsensual sex.

 

On Thursday, Donna Rotunno, one of Weinstein's lawyers, assailed Weinstein's accusers as unreliable and said an "overzealous" prosecution was trying to portray consensual sex as assault, and that women must be "responsible" for their choices.

 

Illuzzi said on Friday that all the women were credible and had no reason to lie.

 

"If they didn't feel compelled to do this, would they put their families through this?" she asked. "Would they put themselves through the stress?"

 

She also pushed back against Rotunno's argument about women's responsibility.

 

"If you're the victim of fraud, nobody is going to say, well, you gave the accountant access to your money," she said.

 

Haleyi testified during the trial that Weinstein forced oral sex on her in his home in 2006. Mann testified that Weinstein raped her in a Manhattan hotel room early in what she called an "extremely degrading" relationship with him.

 

Illuzzi rejected the defense's claim that Mann had a loving relationship with Weinstein, but also said it would not matter if she had been "head over heels in love with him."

 

"He still wouldn't be allowed to rape her on March 18 of 2013," she said.

 

Jurors heard from four other women, including actress Annabella Sciorra, who testified that Weinstein came into her apartment one winter night in 1993 or 1994 and raped her. The accusation is too old to be charged as a separate crime, but it could act as an aggravating factor to support the most serious charge in the case, predatory sexual assault, which carries a possible life sentence.

 

Prosecutors called the remaining three women to bolster their evidence of Weinstein's intent, but did not charge him with any crimes related to them.

 

After court wrapped up for the day, Rotunno told reporters that the evidence showed the relationships the accusers had with Weinstein were consensual.

 

"I think he's confident. And this is a tough situation for anybody to be in," she said of Weinstein.

 

(Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder, Howard Goller and Daniel Wallis)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-02-15

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[OneMoreFarang]

I read a couple of articles about that trial. It seems the information from the prosecutors and the accusers is all over the news.

The part were his defense lawyer is describing how the "rape victims" exchanged friendly messages with him after the so called rapes is not so much in the news. Why not?

 

Here is an interesting part from here https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/feb/13/harvey-weinstein-lawyer-last-appeal-jury-make-right-decision

 

At times, Rotunno’s speech sounded more like a rebuttal of #MeToo than it did of the specific counts of rape and sexual assault against her client. She told the jury that prosecutors had created an “alternative universe”, ironically like a movie script, in which “women are not responsible for the parties they attend, the men they flirt with, the choices they make to further their own careers, the hotel room invitations and the plane tickets they accept”.

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She went on: “In this script, the powerful man is the villain, and he’s so powerful and large that no woman would want to sleep with him.”

[observer90210]

Weinstein is definately a pig of his own. No arguing.

 

But what about the numerous bottylicious females who jump into bed of the first influential person they bump into, just to attain their goals ?

 

It's rather easy to whine xx years later, knowing fully well how many women can behave just to get what they want - and in show business it's far worse.

 

For the skeptical, I'm far from approving Weinstein and his peers, not at all. But the "easy-one-night-stand-on-first-date" type of women also need to assume their acts and stop crying wolf.

 

p.s. that lawyer of his,  is one real ????

Edited February 15, 2020 by observer90210

[klauskunkel]

 

He could cast himself in "The picture of Dorian Gray"

[phantomfiddler]

I think it is a well known fact that women are much more successful when it comes to lying than their male counterparts. It has to do with looks, but mainly plausibility, and a really beautiful girl can be hard to disbelieve. In fact they can get away with murder if they are cute enough. I would say that Harvey provided a route (root ?) to success, in a manner that was hardly admirable, but doubt that he should be crucified because he provided this means of advancement.

[thaibeachlovers]

The headline is somewhat stating the bleeding obvious, isn't it. 

However, since when was bonking willing women a felony, no matter how revolting the man?

[thaibeachlovers]

On 2/15/2020 at 11:52 PM, rooster59 said:

Mann testified that Weinstein raped her in a Manhattan hotel room early in what she called an "extremely degrading" relationship with him.

I can only interpret that as her continuing to have a relationship with a man AFTER she thought he raped her. Tell me if that's wrong.

[Mavideol]

On 2/15/2020 at 5:52 PM, rooster59 said:

"I think he's confident. And this is a tough situation for anybody to be in," she said of Weinstein.

if he's a friend of Trump, he shouldn't worry .... Trump will call Barr and all will be fixed

[Pravda]

On 2/15/2020 at 8:00 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

The part were his defense lawyer is describing how the "rape victims" exchanged friendly messages with him after the so called rapes is not so much in the news. Why not?

 

Jian Ghomeshi - a once famous Canadian host liked punching his "victims" during sex. Year later a dozen of women accused him of violence, but Canadian court eventually acquitted him based on email exchanges he had with them. Most of the women wanted to continue the "relationship".

 

 

[englishoak]

Quote

New York prosecutor says former movie producer Weinstein abused his power

Just abused his power ? ummmm a little more abuse going on than just power.