Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, already found guilty of several sexual assaults on a model during his recent criminal trial in Los Angeles, was attacked Thursday in civil proceedings by this woman.
The 70-year-old former film ‘king’, producer of award-winning hits like ‘Pulp Fiction’, was found guilty in December of committing a 2013 rape and two sexual assaults on this European model, who testified anonymously during the trial. He faces up to 18 years in prison for this and risks ending his life 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. .
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His victim filed a complaint in a Los Angeles court, seeking civil damages. Consulted by AFP, this complaint does not specify the amount claimed. In 2021, a civil agreement had awarded 17 million dollars to several dozen women accusing the former producer, but this model was not one of them.
Since 2017 and the first accusations that spawned the #MeToo movement, nearly 90 women, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Rosanna Arquette, have accused Harvey Weinstein of harassment, sexual assault or rape. But the statute of limitations has been exceeded in many of these cases, some dating back to 1977.
New lawsuit demanded
In criminal matters, the defense of Harvey Weinstein must present its arguments to demand a new trial at a next hearing on February 23. If his appeal is rejected, his sentence will be handed down the same day.
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During the Los Angeles trial, four unnamed women accused the ex-producer of forcing them to have sex in hotels between 2004 and 2013.
The prosecution painted Harvey Weinstein as an all-powerful ogre, a ‘predator’ whose stranglehold on Hollywood – the films he produced have received more than 330 Oscar nominations and 81 statuettes – has long kept his victims from speaking out , for fear of repercussions on their careers.
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The jurors finally agreed with only one of the four accusers. They found Harvey Weinstein not guilty on the charges of a second woman, and did not issue a verdict on the allegations brought by the other two.
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.