Harvey Weinstein is back in court on rape and sexual assault charges – everything you need to know about the trial
Harvey Weinstein is facing four rape charges and seven other counts of sexual assault in Los Angeles.
Opening statements in the case are expected to begin today.
The charges are the latest in a long line of allegations against the disgraced movie mogul – previously considered Hollywood royalty, and one of the most award-winning producers in history.
The 70-year-old is already serving 23 years in prison in California for rape and sexual assault after being convicted in New York in 2020.
Here are all the details on his latest court case.
What has Weinstein been accused of?
Weinstein stands accused of 11 counts of rape and sexual assault against five women in LA and Beverley Hills between 2004 and 2013.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
If convicted on all 11 counts, Weinstein could be sentenced to up to 140 years in prison.
Who are Weinstein’s accusers?
Documentary filmmaker and actress Jennifer Siebel Newsom is one of the five women accusing Weinstein.
She appeared in small roles in dozens of films and television shows between 2002 and 2011, and has recently directed gender-focused documentaries including The Great American Lie and Fair Play. She is married to California governor Gavin Newsom.
She initially wrote about her experience with Weinstein in a 2017 essay in the Huffington Post, but revealed few details at the time.
Jennifer Siebel Newsom
Ms Newsom’s lawyer, Elizabeth Fegan, said in a statement: “Like many other women, my client was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein at a purported business meeting that turned out to be a trap.
“She intends to testify at his trial in order to seek some measure of justice for survivors, and as part of her life’s work to improve the lives of women.”
The four other women will remain anonymous and give evidence as Jane Doe.
Most of the alleged incidents, like Mrs Newsom’s, happened under the guise of business meetings at luxury hotels in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, which Weinstein used as his California headquarters during awards season and throughout the year.
Four of the alleged attacks are said to have occurred during Oscars week 2013, where Weinstein’s hit movies Silver Linings Playbook and Django Unchained took home numerous statuettes.
Weinstein was pictured with a walking frame at his previous trial
Who are the witnesses?
The initial witness list had over 270 names on, although the final list is expected to have fewer than half that number. The list has not been made public.
One witness, Barbara Schneeweiss, a producer on Project Runway and other television shows, was present in court and was told by a judge she was on call to come in at any time.
The jurors were also given a long list of names of witnesses in the coming trial, including those of the accusers, to determine whether they have any connection to them.
Read more:
Harvey Weinstein: The fall of the king of Hollywood
The prosecution will also be allowed to introduce as evidence parts of Weinstein’s New York conviction for rape and sexual assault.
One potential witness against Weinstein is Hollywood actor and director Mel Gibson after a judge ruled he can testify.
Prosecutors say Gibson, who won an Oscar for directing Braveheart, was a friend of one of the accusers.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa Lench ruled Gibson could testify about what the friend told him about Weinstein, though the judge said she could change her mind depending on the friend’s testimony.
Will there be a jury?
It is a jury trial, and 12 jurors – nine men and three women – have been selected.
They appear to largely be aged between 40 and 70. Some appear to be older than that, and one man appears to be in his early to mid-20s.
Ten alternate jurors will also attend the full length of the trial, ready to step in and replace any of the jury of 12, should anyone become unable to serve.
They were chosen from a pool of 225 potential jurors, all of whom filled out a lengthy questionnaire.
It is understood to have contained questions including how much media coverage of Weinstein they had seen, and whether they had formed opinions from it.
There was also a question about a California law that says the testimony alone of a sexual assault victim can be sufficient evidence to convict if a juror believes them.
Weinstein at his 2020 trial in New York
What happened during the 2020 New York trial?
Weinstein is currently serving a 23-year prison sentence in California, after being extradited there following his conviction in March 2020 for assaulting production assistant Mimi Haleyi at his apartment in 2006 and third-degree rape of Jessica Mann in 2013.
He is currently appealing these convictions.
During a landmark trial, more than 100 women, including famous actresses such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Salma Hayek and Uma Thurman, Weinstein was accused of sexual misconduct stretching back decades – fuelling the #MeToo movement against sexual abuse and harassment.
He was acquitted of first-degree rape and two counts of predatory sexual assault dating back to the 1990s.
Previous to his extradition to California, he was serving his sentence at Wende Correctional Facility in Buffalo, New York – a maximum security prison.
Weinstein in his heyday, pictured on a red carpet in 2015
How did Weinstein fall from grace?
Harvey Weinstein was once the king of Hollywood, a man with the power to make and break careers in the movies.
But in October 2017, in reports by the New York Times and the New Yorker, the Oscar-winning producer was accused of sexual misconduct by a number of women. He was also accused of reaching settlements to keep the stories quiet.
In the months that followed, dozens more women came forward to allege incidents of rape, sexual assault and harassment by Weinstein dating back decades.
Police investigations into the allegations stretched from Los Angeles to New York and London.
Weinstein admitted his behaviour had “caused a lot of pain”, but consistently denied all the sexual allegations made against him.
In September 2020, Weinstein was stripped of his CBE following his conviction.
Numerous other distinctions bestowed on Weinstein during his career – including France’s prestigious Legion of Honour – have been revoked since allegations against him first surfaced.
The multi-Oscar winner, who was responsible for blockbusters including Pulp Fiction, The English Patient, Good Will Hunting, Gangs Of New York and Shakespeare In Love, was expelled from the Academy in 2017.
They had previously nominated his work for 341 awards, earning him 81 statuettes over the last 26 years.
Entertainment
Flintoff praises NHS staff who treated him after crash, as doctor says his injuries were ‘among most complex’ he’s ever seen
Andrew Flintoff has praised the “love and compassion” of “superhero” staff in a visit to the hospital that treated him after his crash.
The cricket legend was seriously injured during the incident on the Top Gear track in Surrey in December 2022.
He was airlifted to St George’s in Tooting, with a surgeon calling Flintoff’s injuries some of the most complex he’s seen.
“I just want to say a massive thank you to all the staff at St George’s,” Flintoff said, as he returned to the London hospital.
“I came here probably the lowest I’ve ever been, in need of help and the expertise, the love, the compassion they showed me was incredible.
“I’ll be eternally grateful – absolute superheroes.”
Maxillofacial surgeon Jahrad Haq said Flintoff’s case was very complex. Pic: PA
Jahrad Haq, a maxillofacial surgeon, said he knew immediately the case was something out of the ordinary.
“I was on call that day and received a phone call from the emergency department consultant,” said Mr Haq.
“A lot of injuries are managed at a more junior level before escalating, so I knew this one was serious.
“Of all the trauma cases I’ve seen in over 20 years, this was among the most complex.”
The ex-cricketer with nurses Linda Holden (left) and Sonia Steer. Pic: PA
Flintoff was also pictured on his visit meeting lead dental nurse Linda Holden and principal orthodontic nurse Sonia Steer.
Shamim Umarji, who also treated the 47-year-old, said it was “wonderful to see Freddie again and his visit gave staff a real boost”.
“He spent a lot of time chatting to everyone and it meant a lot,” added the trauma and orthopaedic surgeon.
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Flintoff previously described how he thought he had died in the accident – which saw him “pulled face-down on the runway” for about 50m under a three-wheel car.
The incident led to the BBC pulling the plug on Top Gear and it remains unclear if it will ever return.
Hollywood actor Brian Cox has told Sky News that Donald Trump is talking “bollocks” after suggesting there should be 50 or 75 years between Scottish independence referendums.
The US president said a country “can’t go through that too much” when questioned by reporters during his visit to Scotland this week.
The Emmy-winning star, who is an independence supporter, has hit back, branding him “that idiot in America”.
The 79-year-old told Sky News: “He’s talking bollocks. I’m sorry, but he does. It’s rubbish. Let’s get on with it and let’s get it [independence] done. We can do it.
“It’s been tough as there’s a great deal of undermining that has gone on.”
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Trump responds to Sky question on Israel
SNP fraud probe causing ‘harm’
Mr Cox said the police fraud investigation examining the SNP’s finances has done “enormous harm” to the party and wider independence movement.
Nicola Sturgeon was arrested as part of the long-running police probe but cleared of any wrongdoing earlier this year.
The former first minister’s estranged husband Peter Murrell, who was SNP chief executive for two decades, appeared in court in April to face a charge of alleged embezzlement. He has entered no plea.
Brian Cox is preparing to return to the Scottish stage for the first time in a decade in a play about the Royal Bank of Scotland’s role in the 2008 financial crash.
Ahead of the Edinburgh festival performances, the veteran actor told Sky News: “I think it’s a masterpiece. It’s certainly one of the best pieces of work I’ve been involved in.
Brian Cox speaking to Sky’s Connor Gillies
‘My friend Spacey should be forgiven’
The Succession star was also asked about his “old friend” Kevin Spacey.
The former House of Cards actor, 65, was exiled from the showbiz world in 2017 after allegations of sexual misconduct.
Spacey has admitted to “being too handsy” in the past and “touching someone sexually” when he didn’t know they “didn’t want him to”.
Spacey stood trial in the UK for multiple sexual offences against four men in July 2023 but was acquitted on all counts.
Kevin Spacey
Mr Cox told Sky News: “I am so against cancel culture. Kevin has made a lot of mistakes, but there is a sort of viciousness about it which is unwarranted.
“Everybody is stupid as everybody else. Everybody is capable of the same mistakes and the same sins as everybody else.”
Asked if he could see a return to showbiz for Spacey, Cox replied: “I would think so eventually, but it’s very tough for him.
“He was tricky, but he has learnt a big lesson. He should be allowed to go on because he is a very fine actor. I just think we should be forgiving.”
He concluded: “What is the joy you get out of kicking somebody in the balls when they are down? That is what I cannot stand.”
Entertainment
The 1975 star Matty Healy warns of musical ‘silence’ without small stages as he backs new UK-wide festival
The 1975 frontman Matty Healy has warned of a musical “silence” that would come without the pubs and bars that give UK artists their first chance to perform.
Fresh from headlining Glastonbury in June, Healy is backing a new UK-wide festival which will see more than 2,000 gigs taking place across more than 1,000 “seed” venues in September.
The Seed Sounds Weekender aims to celebrate the hospitality sector hosting bands and singers just as they are starting out – and for some, before they go on to become global superstars.
Healy, who is an ambassador for the event, said in a statement to Sky News: “Local venues aren’t just where bands cut their teeth, they’re the foundation of any real culture.
“Without them, you don’t get The Smiths, Amy Winehouse, or The 1975. You get silence.”
Oasis, currently making headlines thanks to their sold-out reunion tour, first played at Manchester’s Boardwalk club, which closed in 1999, and famously went on to play stadiums and their huge Knebworth gigs within the space of a few years.
Oasis stars Liam and Noel Gallagher, pictured on stage at Wembley for their reunion tour, started out playing Manchester’s Boardwalk club. Pic: Lewis Evans
GigPig, the live music marketplace behind Seed Sounds, says the seed sector collectively hosts more than three million gigs annually, supports more than 43,000 active musicians, and contributes an estimated £2.4bn to the UK economy.
“The erosion of funding for seed and grassroots spaces is part of a wider liberal tendency to strip away the socially democratic infrastructure that actually makes art possible,” said Healy.
“What’s left is a cultural economy where only the privileged can afford to create, and where only immediately profitable art survives.”
He described the Seed Sounds Weekender as “a vital reminder that music doesn’t start in boardrooms or big arenas – it starts in back rooms, pubs, basements, and independent spaces run on love, grit, and belief in something bigger.”
Read more from Sky News:
Oasis photographers recall the early days
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The importance of funding for grassroots venues has been highlighted in the past few years, with more than 200 closing or stopping live music in 2023 and 2024, according to the Music Venue Trust. Sheffield’s well-known Leadmill venue saw its last gig in its current form in June, after losing a long-running eviction battle.
In May, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy announced the £85m Creative Foundations Fund to support arts venues across England.
And last year, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee called for a levy on tickets to large concerts at stadiums and arenas to help fund grassroots venues, which artists including Coldplay and Katy Perry, and venues including the Royal Albert Hall, have backed.
But most seed venues – the smaller spaces in the hospitality sector that provide a platform before artists get to ticketed grassroots gigs or bigger stages – won’t qualify for the levy. GigPig is working to change this by formalising the seed music venue space as a recognised category.
“The UK’s seed venues are where music careers are born,” said GigPig co-founder Kit Muir-Rogers. “Collectively, this space promotes more music than any other in the live music business, yet it has gone overlooked and under-appreciated.”
The Seed Sounds Weekender takes place from 26-28 September and will partner with Uber to give attendees discounted rides to and from venues.
Tickets for most of the gigs will be free, with events taking place across 20 UK towns and cities including London, Liverpool, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Leicester, Newcastle and Southampton
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