In the case that has been the most high-profile one of the #MeToo era, Harvey Weinstein headed to court today to attend the beginning of his trial for sexual assault charges.
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A day after the Golden Globe Awards took place in Los Angeles, an event he used to frequent on a yearly basis, the disgraced movie mogul is in New York City today to begin the trial that will most likely determine how he spends the rest of his life. Weinstein walked into the courtroom using a walker and accompanied by his lawyers. He is facing charges of sexual assault from more than 80 women for alleged actions than span decades. He was indicted by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance in 2018 with five counts of sex crimes, which included rape and predatory sexual assault.
Last month, Harvey Weinstein and the board at the now-bankrupt-and-sold-off Weinstein Company reached a potential $47 million deal to settle financial obligations. Of that amount about $25 is proposed for his accusers. It does not include an admission of culpability by Weinstein and is subject to approval from a judge.
In the trial that started today, Judge James Burke warned the defense to not intimidate witnesses. “Just excise the witnesses from your communications going forward,” he said. “It’s going to be hard enough to get a fair and impartial jury. None of this will help that, attain that goal.” Jury selection starts tomorrow.
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