Harvey Weinstein, a former Hollywood star producer, was sentenced on Thursday February 23 to 16 years in prison by a Los Angeles court for rape and sexual assault in a Beverly Hills hotel dating back to 2013. The victim is a European model. Aged 70, Harvey Weinstein is already serving a 23-year prison sentence after a first conviction in New York in 2020 for similar facts, which he appealed. He also appealed for his new conviction in Los Angeles.
For these acts committed in a Beverly Hills hotel, the 70-year-old former “king” of cinema, producer of award-winning hits like “Pulp Fiction”, faced up to 18 years in prison. He thus risks ending his days behind bars, because he is already serving a 23-year prison sentence after his conviction in New York in 2020 for similar facts and which he appealed. Even before the announcement of his sentence, Harvey Weinstein had announced that he wanted to appeal his conviction in Los Angeles.
This second trial for Mr. Weinstein, whose fall in 2017 freed the voices of many women and sparked the movement
The prosecution had portrayed Mr. Weinstein as an all-powerful ogre, a “predator” whose stranglehold on Hollywood — the films he produced have garnered more than 330 Oscar nominations and 81 statuettes — has long prevented his victims to speak out for fear of repercussions on their careers. His lawyers have worked to cast doubt on the word of the four complainants, highlighting in particular the absence of forensic evidence to support their stories.
The trial ended with a split verdict. Jurors found Mr. Weinstein guilty of all charges brought by the European model. On the other hand, they declared him not guilty concerning those of a second woman, and did not formulate a verdict concerning the allegations made by the other two.
After the criminal conviction of the ex-producer, the model, recognized as a victim at the end of the trial, filed a complaint in early February in a Los Angeles court, in order to obtain civil damages. Consulted by AFP, this complaint does not specify the amount claimed. She insists on the “physical and mental suffering” caused by the rape and the sexual assaults suffered. In 2021, a civil agreement had awarded 17 million dollars to several dozen women accusing the former producer, but this woman was not one of them.
Rumors about Mr. Weinstein’s behavior had been circulating for years in Hollywood. The scandal finally broke in 2017, thanks to press investigations compiling multiple accusations, which led to the movement
In addition to his legal setbacks in the United States, the ex-producer is also charged in the United Kingdom for sexual assaults which date back to 1996.
