Harvey Weinstein chose not to appear in his own defence as the Los Angeles trial of his accusers for rape/sexual assault, which has been dragging on for nearly two years, is nearing its conclusion.
Weinstein didn’t testify in his New York 2020 trial. He is currently serving a 23 year sentence. It is considered risky – and is less common – for defendants to testify on their own behalf in criminal sexual assault cases. Kevin Spacey, Paul Haggis, and two other civil sex abuse trials, both took place in October. Spacey won, Haggis lost.
Judge Lisa B. Lench stated clearly that Weinstein was not aware of his rights and she would like him to be recorded. “I want you to understand that you have an absolute right to testify,” Weinstein was also granted the right to refuse to testify. The judge asked Weinstein to accept his understanding.
“Yes,” Weinstein responded – which would be his only word on the record in this trial, besides saying “Hello, everyone” Last month, dozens of potential jurors gathered in a conference room.
Monday was the start of defense calling six witnesses, including an expert, an FBI agent and a manager at a hotel. These were all called mainly to verify records or resolve timelines. Defense attorney Mark Werksman said he expected to wrap up that process by Wednesday – meaning closing arguments would then begin, with jurors getting the case as soon as the end of this week.
The jury that is hearing the case in criminal rape against the accused are just down the hall. “That ’70s Show” After two jurors had been excused, star Danny Masterson started fresh deliberations. These separate cases were being played on the 9th floor in a Los Angeles court building since October.
This story is developing …