In New York Trial, Prosecutors to Begin Making Rape Case Against Harvey Weinstein

U.S. prosecutors will begin presenting their rape case against 👤Harvey Weinstein on Wednesday, with the once-powerful Hollywood producer facing life in prison if convicted, in a trial that has become a watershed moment for the #MeToo movement.

Lawyers will make their opening statements to a jury of seven men and five women in a Manhattan courthouse.

Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting two women. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of the most serious charge, predatory sexual assault.

His trial began on Jan. 6 and could last roughly six more weeks.

Since 2017, more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, fueling the #MeToo movement in which women have gone public with allegations against powerful men in business, entertainment and politics.

Weinstein, who reshaped the independent film industry with critically acclaimed pictures such as “The English Patient” and “Shakespeare in Love,” has denied the allegations and said any sexual encounters were consensual.

Justice James Burke told potential jurors last week that they must decide Weinstein’s case based on the evidence and not make the trial “a referendum on the #MeToo movement.”

Burke denied a request on Tuesday to move the trial out of the media glare of New York City to the suburban county of Suffolk or the state capital Albany. The defense team sought a new venue partly because sidewalk protests against Weinstein could be heard in the court.

“While I could not make out every word of what was being chanted, I clearly heard the word ‘rapist’,” said a court filing by Weinstein lawyer Diana Fabi Samson, describing the protests that she heard from inside the court during jury selection.

Prosecutors are expected to paint Weinstein as a serial predator who abused his power, while the defense is expected to try to show accusers’ behavior seems to contradict how victims would react to an assault.