Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom’s wife will testify against disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein in his California rape trial, according to a report.
Weinstein, who is serving a 23-year sentence for rape in New York, stands accused of sexually assaulting five women between 2003 and 2014. Jennifer Seibel Newsom is one of the accusers who will appear in court, a lawyer for Newsom told The Los Angeles Times.
“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,” said Elizabeth Fegan, Jennifer Seibel Newsom’s attorney. “Please respect her choice to not further discuss this matter outside of the courtroom.”
After The New York Times published a report on Harvey Weinstein’s predatory behavior — a report that helped launch the #MeToo movement — Newsom came forward and alleged she had a similar experience with Weinstein. She did not provide details at the time. However, three sources told The Los Angeles Times that she is accuser number four in the 2021 criminal indictment.
Accuser number four has said Weinstein forcibly raped her in an incident sometime between September 2004 and September 2005, according to the indictment. Allegations from the other accusers have resulted in Weinstein being charged with ten other counts, including forcible oral copulation, sexual penetration by a foreign object, forcible rape, and sexual battery by restraint.
Weinstein was convicted of a first-degree criminal sex act and third-degree rape in 2020. He has denied raping anyone and says all of his sexual encounters were consensual. He was extradited to California last year in anticipation of his second trial, which will feature up to 50 witnesses, says the L.A. County District Attorney’s office.
Jury selection for the trial began Monday and is expected to last until late October.
Earlier this year, a New York Appeals court ruled that Weinstein’s team could argue for another trial or have his conviction dismissed. Weinstein’s lawyers shared various reasons why they believe Weinstein was not given a fair trial and is entitled to a new one, including that they say too many witnesses unrelated to the sexual assault charges were allowed at trial.
“Weinstein’s trial was overwhelmed by excessive, random, and highly dubious prior bad act evidence, none of which shed light on disputed issues relevant to the charged offenses,” Weinstein’s lawyers wrote.
