The following article includes graphic depictions of sexual assault.
The Harvey Weinstein trial finished three days of horrifying, upsetting, and all-around stomach-churning testimony this week. Jane Doe #1, the first woman to testify against Weinstein, accused him of rape and sexual assault as Weinstein’s defense attempted to poke holes in her story.
A European female actor and model, Jane Doe #1, who, per variety, spoke through “tears and sometimes uncontrollable deep breaths,” told the court that Weinstein raped her in February 2013 in a hotel room at the Los Angeles Italia Film Festival. Doe #1 was a VIP guest at the event and alleges that Weinstein “barged” into her hotel room uninvited and “forced her to perform oral sex on him, groped her, pulled her hair, bent her over a sink and raped her.”
During cross-examination, Weinstein’s defense attorney, Alan Jackson, pushed Doe #1 on her assertion that Weinstein broke into her room. How, Jackson wondered, could Weinstein, a six-foot-tall Hollywood kingmaker, just make his way into her room? Why, he continued, didn’t she call for help as a man with a massive build and immense wealth and power forced himself upon her? “I was confused,” she said. “It wasn’t in my mind to call for help. I was fighting. I was being grabbed by him I regret that I didn’t fight and stand up for myself.”
The accuser’s descriptions of Weinstein’s genitals were again evoked in the courtroom as it has become a common denominator in testimony among accusers. Deputy DA Paul Thompson explained to the jury, “Because of an infection, his testicles were actually taken from his scrotum and put into his inner thighs.” However, Weinstein’s defense attorney, Alan Jackson, questioned how “his balls were in your mouth” if he does not have testicles in his scrotum.
“The reason that you changed your story is because you realized at some point that Mr. Weinstein does not have testicles in his scrotum,” Jackson said to Jane Doe #1. “I recall that he didn’t have one,” Doe #1 said. “It was like empty skin.”
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Jackson’s cross-examination resembles familiar criticism of rape and assault survivors, questioning why she didn’t act sooner? Why she didn’t think to accuse the most powerful person in her industry of rape? Surely, everyone would’ve believed and supported her in her accusation. Why would she post on social media after her rape? Why would she attend a party hosted by Netflix and The Weinstein Company in 2017? “I was trying to deny to myself that this happened to me,” she said. “My public life is part of my job.”
From variety:
“Do you have any physical items to corroborate you were ever with my client?” he asked. “Is there a single witness that can establish if you were ever in the same room at the same hotel?” He asked if she was bruised or had any markings on her body. She said no. “Do you think somebody after rape takes a video of themselves?”
Additionally, Weinstein was asked to move his seat because he kept staring at the jury. His attorneys asked if he could stay because, reports The Wrap (via Yahoo), he had difficulty with his wheelchair. The court denied his request, but Weinstein found his way back into the jury’s line of sight.
If you or someone you know is suffering from sexual abuse, contact the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1–800–656–4673.
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