Trial against Harvey Weinstein: #MeToo in court

Harvey Weinstein is only a shadow of himself. At a bail in December, the once powerful ex-film producer dragged himself into the courtroom with a walking aid. He was emaciated, pale and barely recognizable.

Weinstein's condition was the result of a car accident, his lawyers said. But thanks to a spinal surgery, he hoped to be fit again soon.

How fit will be seen this Monday when the trial of Weinstein begins in front of a New York jury. The 67-year-old, whose spectacular fall caused the #MeToo era, is charged with rape and sexual assault. A guilty verdict could put him in jail for the rest of his life.

It is the most significant criminal case since #MeToo started more than two years ago. Both sides also hope that this will make an (albeit different) judgment of the entire movement.

Mark Lennihan / AP / DPA

Emaciated shadow of himself: Weinstein at a bail hearing in December

The prosecution wants to send a signal: The case - which churned all of Hollywood and led to worldwide resistance to sexual assault against women - symbolizes justice for all victims of sexual violence, said District Attorney Cyrus Vance. Weinstein's lawyer Donna Rotunno, on the other hand, sees her client as the victim of a hostile overreaction: "Women are responsible for the decisions they make."

The Weinstein scandal began in October 2017 with revelations in the "New York Times" and in the "New Yorker". Since then, more than 80 women, including stars like Angelina Jolie, Rose McGowan and Salma Hayek, have accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting her.

This has given rise to dozens of civil proceedings, which should now end with a settlement that financially favors Weinstein. What remained was a single criminal case, which is now being brought to a public hearing. It is about the alleged assault by Weinstein against two women.

The big bill became a bill light.

REUTERS

Settlement: Alleged Weinstein victims Ashley Judd, Annabella Sciorra and Salma Hayek

According to the indictment, Weinstein allegedly forced Mimi Haleyi, a former employee of his production company, to have oral sex in his New York apartment in 2006. In 2013, he raped a second, unidentified woman with whom he had a long relationship in a Manhattan hotel room.

Four other women are said to be witnesses to the prosecution. The best known is "Sopranos" actress Annabella Sciorra, who accuses Weinstein of raping her in 1994. These allegations are statute-barred, but could help to demonstrate a behavior pattern.

Weinstein, initially free on bail, claims that all sexual contacts were consensual.

"It will be very, very difficult for the prosecutor to win this case," criminal lawyer Jeffery Greco told Variety magazine. Many jurors may disapprove of Weinstein's behavior, but blame the women. This tough strategy was also suggested by lawyer Rotunno in the "Wall Street Journal": "Just don't go to the hotel room" would have been her own motto.

Nevertheless, the former Hollywood mogul Weinstein turned out to be a difficult client who prefers to stage his defense himself. So he's already worn out two teams of lawyers. Most recently, star lawyer Benjamin Brafman threw in, who had successfully defended rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs and ex-IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Seth Wenig / AP

Tough strategy: Weinstein lawyers Damon Cheronis, Donna Rotunno and Arthur Aidala

Judge James Burke does not want the trial, which could take two months, to become a spectacle. He has strict rules of conduct (no SMS in the hall) for the approximately 250 accredited reporters as well as for the audience. The first day is purely formal, Tuesday the jury selection from a pool of 500 New Yorkers begins, followed by the opening speeches.

A media circus seems inevitable. Weinstein was deeply rooted in the New York Society of media makers, politicians and lawyers. To date, he is defended by some. When two women abused him in a bar the other day, they were put outside the door.

Prominent representatives of Hollywood and the # MeToo scene have announced the process. There may be rallies before the Lower Manhattan court. The previous hearings included actresses Marisa Tomei and Amber Tamblyn, as well as star lawyer Gloria Allred, who represents several alleged Weinstein victims. Allred's daughter Linda Bloom, also a lawyer, is said to have worked for Weinstein for a while, as reporter Ronan Farrow recently revealed.

Weinstein - whose film company was smashed - complains in the meantime that the truth is that it is he who is being wronged here. "I feel like the forgotten man," he told the New York Post at the bedside. He had produced more films with and about women than anyone else and often used his wealth for charity. "Because of what happened, it was all destroyed."