Defense attorneys for disgraced former film producer Harvey Weinstein are set to begin presenting their case Monday in his trial on sex-related charges involving four women, including Gov. Gavin Newsom's wife.
Weinstein's defense begins following Superior Court Judge Lisa Lench's Nov. 17 decision to reject a bid by his attorneys to acquit him of all seven counts, with the judge saying she thought there was "enough evidence to send all these counts to the jury."
But Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson told the judge outside the jury's presence on Nov. 15 that the prosecution was not going to proceed with four counts -- two counts each of forcible rape and forcible oral copulation involving "Jane Doe #5," who had not been mentioned in the prosecution's opening statement. Those charges were subsequently dismissed by the judge.
When asked if she said "No" to Weinstein, she responded, "I did with my voice and with my body. I tried to get out of there. I tried to push him off of me ... I tried so hard." Werksman contended in his opening statement that two of the alleged victims named in the charges "just made it up" and that it was "transactional sex" for the other two women.
Weinstein began his entertainment career as a concert promoter and then, with his brother Bob, created Miramax Films, which produced a number of "iconic and award-winning films" including "Pulp Fiction," "The English Patient," "Good Will Hunting" and "Shakespeare In Love," among others, Thompson noted in the prosecution's opening statement.
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