Weinstein sex crimes trial set to begin with bigger stakes

LOS ANGELES — Harvey Weinstein’s second sex crimes trial, which begins Monday in Los Angeles, was once seen as largely symbolic. After all, the former movie mogul, who is 70 and in poor health, still has 21 years to serve in prison following his 2020 conviction in New York for rape and criminal sexual assault.

But a late-summer surprise from New York’s highest court — one that gave Weinstein a glimmer of hope of walking free — has heightened the West Coast stakes. Should Weinstein win his appeal, the Los Angeles case would determine his fate.

“It is disturbing and shocking that Harvey was allowed to continue his New York appeal, and so we — survivors, supporters — are paying very, very close attention to the Los Angeles trial,” said Caitlin Dulany, an actress who has accused Weinstein of sexually harassing and assaulting her in the mid-1990s. Dulany, who is not involved in the Los Angeles. trial, was a plaintiff in a class-action civil suit against Weinstein in 2018 that a federal judge ultimately rejected.

Supporters of the #MeToo movement are also looking to the trial as a signal of the movement’s vitality in the entertainment industry, where there have been setbacks, like the implosion of Time’s Up, the anti-harassment organization. It was founded by powerful Hollywood women in 2017 to make sure Weinstein’s behavior would never be repeated.

If Weinstein is acquitted by Hollywood’s hometown legal system, it could have a chilling effect, some #MeToo supporters worry. Los Angeles courts already have a reputation for being lenient on people in show business.

“There’s obviously a lot at stake for the women who are testifying, but there is also a lot at stake for all of us,” Dulany said. “If it goes the wrong way, it will be a step backwards. I think it will make it harder for women to come forward in the future.”