Harvey Weinstein: Process is heading for judgment

The # metoo trial against Harvey Weinstein is coming to an end. His fate is now in the hands of twelve lay people.

• The #metoo trial against Harvey Weinstein is coming to an end.
• The jury withdrew for advice in order to make a judgment.
• The former Hollywood producer faces life imprisonment if convicted.

New York - Six weeks after the Harvey Weinstein trial began, the jury withdrew to discuss the verdict. Judge James Burke instructed the twelve jurors in New York on Tuesday (February 18, 2020) to decide on the guilt and innocence of the former Hollywood producer. The accused Weinstein is guilty if his innocence has been “undoubtedly” refuted.

Harvey Weinstein: # metoo process is heading for judgment

The jury must now come to a unanimous decision on three different charges. Harvey Weinstein is accused of rape, sexual assault and “predatory sexual assault”. The latter means violently and urgently forcing a victim to engage in sexual acts.

The core of the sensational process is, however, about two specific allegations. Harvey Weinstein is said to have forced production assistant Mimi Haleyi to have oral sex in 2006 and in 2013 raped today's hairdresser Jessica Mann.

The facts are clear in the trial against Harvey #Weinstein. The taking of evidence is over, the staging is not. What are victims allowed to do? That is the question. https://t.co/zVIAOkRF5t

The deliberations of the jury can take weeks. If the jury cannot agree, the American judiciary speaks of a "hung jury". In this case the procedure would have to be reopened. If Weinstein is convicted, he faces life imprisonment. The process is considered a milestone in the #metoo debate sparked by the case. Since 2017, more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual assault *.

# Metoo trial of Harvey Weinstein: a man who used his power in the film industry

In the process, the public prosecutor's office tried to use six key witnesses, some with drastic details, to present a pattern of Harvey Weinstein's - that of a man who used his power in the film industry to subdue young women. From October 2017, several actresses reported using the hashtag #metoo that they had been sexually harassed by Weinstein.

The defense, on the other hand, had given the witnesses complicity in the trial and portrayed Weinstein in a victim role. Women had exploited him for decades because of his influence and money and were aware of their actions and signals to him. All sex had taken place by mutual consent. In an interview, Harvey Weinstein claimed to be a pioneer in the advancement of women in Hollywood.

Marvin Ziegele with dpa

* fr.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.

List of rubric lists: © Kena Betancur / AFP