Key witness testifies how she was raped

NEW YORK — A key accuser in Harvey Weinstein’s trial testified Friday that he raped her twice, once bellowing, “You owe me!” as he dragged her into a bedroom.

The first time, the heavyset Hollywood tycoon trapped her in a New York hotel room in March 2013, angrily ordered her to undress as he loomed over her, and then raped her, she told jurors.

Still, she kept in touch, sending him flattering emails, because “his ego was so fragile,” she said, and it “made me feel safe, worshiping him in this sense. I wanted to be perceived as innocent and naive.”

Then, eight months later at a Los Angeles hotel where she worked as a hairdresser, she told Weinstein that she was dating an actor, she said.

“You owe me one more time!” he screamed, she told jurors. She said she begged him not to take off her clothes, but he said, “I don’t have time for games” and ripped off her pants before pushing her legs apart and raping her.

The 34yearold woman’s testimony was a pivotal moment in the rape case against the oncepowerful movie producer who became one of the #MeToo movement’s top targets. He is charged in New York with the March 2013 rape and sexually assaulting Mimi Haleyi, a former “Project Runway” production assistant, in 2006. A conviction could put him behind bars for the rest of his life.

Weinstein, 67, has insisted that any sexual encounters were consensual. His lawyers planned to raise doubts about the rape accuser’s credibility by seizing on her complicated history with the former film producer. Her testimony is scheduled to resume Monday.

The defense says the woman sent Weinstein warm emails that said things like “Miss you, big guy.” Not once, in more than 400 messages between the two, did the woman accuse Weinstein of harming her, his lawyers have said.

The Associated Press has a policy of not publishing the names of sexual assault accusers without their consent. It is withholding the name of the rape accuser because it isn’t clear if she wishes to be identified publicly.

The woman testified that she met Weinstein at a party in late 2012 or early 2013 after she moved from Washington state to Los Angeles to pursue acting.

The producer behind such Oscarwinning films as “Shakespeare in Love” and “Pulp Fiction” offered to help her, she said, asking her to meet him at a bookstore to learn about moviebusiness history.

“I thought it was a blessing,” she said.

Later, what she thought was a professional dinner at a Los Angeles hotel ended up in his suite, she testified. She said she thought Weinstein just wanted to avoid public attention, but he pressured her into giving him a massage on the bed with his shirt off.