Harvey Weinstein faces sexual assault and rape charges as L.A. trial begins
Harvey Weinstein, one of the most powerful men in Hollywood, is accused of sexual assault and rape by three former film industry women.
Three women have accused the film producer of drugging and raping them. Each woman says a producer on his staff called her “a dirty pig” and suggested she needed to be “milked.”
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Racy photo of a woman and a man (a photo that has caused outrage online) allegedly taken in 2012. Pic: Getty
Harvey Weinstein arrives in court in New York on Tuesday. In pictures: Weinstein trial in New York
The three women are suing the producer under a California law that gives victims of sexual assault and rape the option of having a civil lawsuit filed against a person who raped or assaulted them.
One of the accusers, Lucia Evans, says she was hired as an assistant to Weinstein in 2012. She says Weinstein had a history of harassing and sexually assaulting women at his film sets including grabbing her breast while she was posing for nude photos.
Evans says she told her boss Weinstein had raped her but was ignored, after which she decided to seek legal help. She is seeking a reported $20m in damages.
In her complaint, Evans describes how Weinstein harassed her.
“He would say things like, ‘What is your real name? Why did you pose for that nudes photo? What is your real job? Do you have to sleep with me in exchange for this gig?’ He would harass me about my name and my work, about my family, about my past. He talked very dirty to me and would always try to get me to do things I didn’t want to do.”
The complaint also mentions a 2009 event in New York at which Weinstein gave a “selfie” that made him look like a “wacko” and asked Evans to pose.
He asked her, “Are you afraid of me?” she says. “I was not afraid because I knew I could handle him.”
At the time of the New York event, Evans was a college student with an eating disorder.
She says she agreed to pose for a photo because Weinstein wanted her and because she was trying to be a “good girl.”