First woman testify in Harvey Weinstein trial, Breaks down before jury

Los Angeles: The first victim to testify in the Harvey Weinstein trial broke down while detailing her sexual assault experience before the jury. The woman, known as Jane Doe #1, is a foreign actress who was accompanied by her translator.

The woman broke down in tears and started breathing uncontrollably while talking about her allegations against the former Hollywood producer and already-convicted rapist. English is not her first language and she speaks Russian and Italian. The translator was used in the courtroom, reported Variety.

According to the victim, she was assaulted by Weinstein in February 2013 when she was visiting Los Angeles as part of the Italia Film Festival during Oscars weekend. She had only met the producer a few times at industry events. They had been introduced and barely spoken to each other.

She said Weinstein showed up at her hotel room unannounced in the middle of the night. He forcefully entered the room and assaulted her. She confirmed that she did not tell Weinstein where she was staying in the city and was confused about how he knew her whereabouts.

The popular Italian actress was invited to the Los Angeles Italia Film Festival as a guest of the festival's founder and was required to walk the red carpets at the festival, occupy VIP sections of the theatre and attend exclusive industry dinner parties. After one event, she returned to the hotel room past midnight. She was getting ready for bed when the hotel lobby called her room to say she had a guest.

"I said I didn't expect any guests. The hotel staff informed me it was Weinstein downstairs. I was confused. I didn't understand what he was doing in the hotel," said the actress.

Jane Doe #1 said through tears that she told hotel staff she could come downstairs but Weinstein refused the offer. The next thing she knew was Weinstein knocking on her door and yelling, "I want to talk to you." She clarified that she only opened the door because the noise was so loud and she was embarrassed that other hotel guests might hear the commotion.

When she opened the door, Weinstein just walked in, sat on her bed, took off his jacket, and asked her to give him a massage. He did not leave even though the woman directly, repeatedly asked him to. She added that she showed Weinstein her children's photos in an effort to get him to leave. She also explained that nothing was going to happen between them and that she wasn't sure why he was under the impression that she was interested in physical interaction with him.

Despite her protests, Weinstein became more physical and commented on her body. He also undressed and tried to take her clothes off. "I was panicking and started crying. I was terrified. He was treating my room as his home and not treating me as human," said Jane Doe #1.

When deputy D.A. Paul Thompson asked her to detail the assault further, she started crying and taking deep breaths. It appeared to be very difficult for her to continue speaking in the courtroom. She said Weinstein had a problem with his erection and asked her to suck his private parts. "He forced me by grabbing my hair and pushing me down on him. I was crying and choking."

Weinstein's legal team argued that Jane Doe #1 had attended a party thrown by the producer years after the alleged incident and posted a photo from the red carpet. His attorney Werksman had been arguing that women who came out against Weinstein in the #MeToo movement engaged in "transactional sex" because it was part of the process in Hollywood. He alleged that these women engaged in intercourse with the producer for opportunities but now feel embarrassed about it. "They will play the part of the damsel in distress with this beast. They have to lie to themselves, to you, to this court."

Harvey Weinstein was convicted on one count of criminal sexual assault in the first degree and one count of rape in the third degree in February 2020. The New York jury however found him not guilty of predatory sexual assault, which could have led to a life sentence.