Harvey Weinstein's legal team has "dozens and dozens and dozens" of "love emails" written by witnesses who accuse him of inappropriate sexual behavior, one of the stubborn defenders of the movie magnate said on Tuesday.
The judge who oversaw the Weinstein rape trial ruled Tuesday that the producer's defense lawyers can talk about the emails but can't show them. He also prohibited Weinstein's lawyers from using them in their initial statements, which will begin this Wednesday at the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan.
The emails "undermined" prosecutors' arguments that Weinstein was a serial sexual predator, defense attorney Damon Cheronis said.
Cheronis said an accuser sent an email to his client after an alleged encounter by giving him his new telephone number, while another sent him an email after another alleged encounter in which she tried to introduce him to his mother.
"We have dozens and dozens and dozens of emails that include witness statements complaining that they were involved in a relationship with Mr. Weinstein, including romantic relationships and sexual encounters, and we show in a case that they care about him," Cheronis said. which later characterized emails as "loving." The defense did not give more details about the alleged meetings mentioned in the emails.
Weinstein, 68, faces rape charges against a woman in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013 and to perform a forced sexual act against another woman in 2006. He pleaded not guilty in the case and denied all allegations of sex without consent .
He also faces a sex crime case in Los Angeles, where he is accused of raping one woman and sexually assaulting another in separate incidents on two consecutive days in 2013.
In total, more than 80 women have accused the Oscar-winning producer of inappropriate sexual behavior, from rape to sexual assault and harassment, for decades.
A jury of seven men and five women was selected last week to decide Weinstein's fate. During that process there were objections from the defense for the writer's inclusion of an upcoming novel about young women dealing with abusive older men. The trial is expected to last at least six weeks.
"He thinks he will come back"
Weinstein refused to discuss the state of his finances with The Times , although he replied that his priorities did not include his "personal belongings." Prosecutors in his case have said he has sold at least six properties in recent years for almost $ 60 million.
His own lawyers affirm that much of that unexpected gain has been destined to support his two ex-wives, his legal team of four people and the rest of his entourage, which now includes a crisis manager, a media consultant, an expert in Jury selection and a man responsible for making sure you always use your electronic ankle monitor.
When The Time s asked him what it was like to function without an even larger entourage of assistants around him during heyday, Weinstein replied: "I've always been self-sufficient."
However, his film career no longer exists, according to a close friend who has known him for more than 20 years. "If Harvey had the rights to a movie now, he couldn't sell them. The reputation problem is too big, too risky. Everyone has turned his back on this guy, everyone," he told The New York Times .
And yet, that has not prevented Mr. Weinstein from seeking agreements. Last summer, Weinstein, whose passport was confiscated as part of his bail agreement, requested permission from the judge in his case to go to Italy on a business trip. His supporters say he had obtained an unpaid consulting job in the country, advising a friend on how to set up a theatrical production of the successful movie Cinema Paradiso .
The judge denied his request to go abroad, but the friend, who has known Weinstein for more than 20 years, said the producer was planning, in Hollywood style, to have a second act in his career. "He's a tough guy," the friend insisted. "He thinks he'll get over this and then come back," he concluded.
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