Harvey Weinstein used his power and influence in Hollywood to rape women, leaving them terrified for their careers if they stood up to him, a court in Los Angeles heard on Monday.
Weinstein, now 70, used his physical size and his position as "king" of the film industry to attack his victims in hotel rooms, the prosecution said, as a two-month trial began to hear evidence.
"They feared that he could crush their careers if they reported what he had done," Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson told the packed courtroom.
Mr Thompson said jurors would hear from eight women who were sexually assaulted by the Pulp Fiction producer, who is credited with making the careers of some of the movie industry's biggest names, including Quentin Tarantino, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow.
"Each of these women came forward independent of each other and none of them knew one another," he said.
The jury will hear testimony from these women, including how they begged Weinstein to stop, but that he persisted in forcing them to perform sex acts.
Showing a picture of him and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, Mr Thompson said the Hollywood producer wielded "power with presidential contenders".
He played jurors quotes from the alleged victims who described Weinstein as "the most powerful person in the industry", and "the king".
"Part of me was thinking should I just make a run for it, but he's a big guy," one of the women told investigators.
"He's big. He's broad. He's overweight. He's domineering," one said.
"I still wanted to work in Hollywood so I was afraid to do anything because of that," another said.
"I was scared that if I didn't play nice something could happen in the room or out of the room because of his power in the industry," yet another said.
In common with most victims of sexual assault, the women in the case are being referred to as "Jane Doe", to preserve their anonymity.
But one has been publicly identified as Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of Californian governor Gavin Newsom.
Weinstein, who produced The English Patient and Good Will Hunting, is already serving 23 years in jail in New York after being convicted there of sex crimes.
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Lawyer Tom Ajamie, seen here with Lila Feinberg, is arguably the bee that woke the #MeToo bear. Getty Images -
Former amfAR chairman Kenneth Cole and Harvey Weinstein at amfAR's 2010 Cinema Against Aids benefit gala at the Hotel du Cap in Antibes, France. Getty Images -
Mr Ajamie said that his financial questions about Weinstein often led to allegations of sexual misconduct against the producer. Getty Images -
Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis is in court this week facing a publicist who claims that he raped her. AP -
Publicist Haleigh Breest has accused Mr Haggis of raping her. AP -
Five years after lighting the #MeToo fuse, American actress Alyssa Milano is pleased to see women refusing to be silent and has "great hope" for the future. AFP -
#MeToo founder Tarana Burke attends the Time100 Gala celebrating the 100 most influential people in the world. AP -
Italian actress Ambra Battilana Gutierrez, who taped Weinstein harassing her, says she did not understand what she was signing when she was presented with a non-disclosure agreement because her English was poor and the document was in 'legal' language. Getty Images -
Actor Danny Masterson was charged with raping three women about 20 years ago. AP -
Five years after sexual misconduct allegations ended his Hollywood career, Kevin Spacey appeared in a New York court to face a civil lawsuit brought by actor Anthony Rapp, who accuses the disgraced Oscar winner of assaulting him as a teenager. AFP -
Rapp arrives at the Manhattan Federal Court for the civil sex abuse trial against Spacey. Reuters -
Marilyn Manson in March filed court proceedings against ex-fiancee Evan Rachel Wood for conspiracy, fraud and defamation after the actress accused him of raping her. AFP -
Esme Bianco has sued Manson, alleging sexual, physical and emotional abuse. AP -
Oscar-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr pled guilty to charges of the forcible touching and sexual abuse of Kelsey Harbert. Getty Images / AFP -
Gooding also faced charges from three other incidents in which he stood accused of forcible touching or abuse. Getty Images / AFP
He now faces 11 more charges from crimes against women in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles hotels between 2004 and 2013.
If convicted, Weinstein — who has pleaded not guilty to all counts — could be sentenced to more than 100 more years behind bars.
Widespread sexual abuse and harassment allegations against Weinstein began in October 2017, and his conviction in New York in 2020 was a landmark in the #MeToo movement.
In June, he lost a bid to have that sex crimes conviction overturned. He has also been separately charged by British prosecutors with the 1996 indecent assault of a woman in London.
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Actor and director Mel Gibson can testify at the rape and sexual assault trial of Harvey Weinstein, a judge ruled. Invision / AP -
Former film producer Harvey Weinstein appears in court at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Centre in Los Angeles, California. AP -
Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker and actor, is among the accusers of Harvey Weinstein who will testify at his rape and sexual assault trial that began this month. AP -
A 2021 poll by the The Associated Press-Norc Centre for Public Affairs Research suggested more Americans under 30 would be likely to speak out if they were a victim of sexual misconduct than older adults. AP -
Weinstein's wife Georgina Chapman left her husband after sexual harassment and assault claims were made against him. EPA -
Thousands of women responded to Alyssa Milano’s call to tweet “MeToo” to raise awareness of sexual harassment and assault after the recent revelation of decades of allegations of sexual misconduct against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. Invision / AP. -
Actress Uma Thurman said Weinstein assaulted her twice. Reuters -
Italian actress Asia Argento became a leading figure in the #MeToo movement after accusing Weinstein of rape. AFP -
Cate Blanchett is an outspoken member of the Time’s Up movement. Invision / AP -
Milano said she was in bed with her two young children when an idea struck her as a great way to elevate the Weinstein conversation, through the #MeToo movement. Invision / AP -
Milano listens as Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh testifies before the Senate judiciary committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. AP -
Rose McGowan and Rosanna Arquette testified against Weinstein in 2020. Reuters -
Model Cara Delevingne also made claims of mistreatment by Weinstein. Getty -
Annabella Sciorra's testimony helped to secure the 2020 conviction against Weinstein. AP -
Paz de la Huerta claimed that Weinstein raped her twice in 2010. AFP -
Salma Hayek joined the scores of actresses to accuse Weinstein, alleging that the fallen Hollywood mogul sexually harassed her. AFP -
Lisa Bloom is a lawyer who advised Weinstein and represented one of the accusers of Ghislaine Maxwell. Getty / AFP -
The entrance to the Rikers Island penitentiary, which Weinstein now calls home. AFP
In total, nearly 90 women, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Salma Hayek, have accused Weinstein of harassment or assault.
He says that all his sexual encounters were consensual, and his lawyer previously said the Los Angeles accusations "stem from many years ago" and cannot "be substantiated or corroborated by any forensic evidence" or "credible witnesses".
Before the allegations against him emerged, the producer and his brother Bob were Hollywood's ultimate power players.
They co-founded Miramax Films, a distribution company named after their mother Miriam and father Max, in 1979. It was sold to Disney in 1993.
Their hits included 1998's Shakespeare in Love, for which Weinstein shared a best picture Oscar. Over the years, Weinstein's films received more than 300 Oscar nominations and 81 statuettes.
She Said, a film about the 2017 newspaper investigation into Weinstein that sparked the demise of his movie empire, is set for wide release on November 18 in the US.
