Ten keys to the "Harvey Weinstein case"

Once-powerful Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of first-degree sexual assault by a jury in New York State Supreme Court on Wednesday, and it's possible another charge could be added in the coming days.

Weinstein faces a maximum of 25 years in prison for that crime when the judge issues his sentence .

This is the second time the co-founder of the Miramax studio has been tried criminally in the Big Apple. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison five years ago, although the sentence was overturned last year by a court ruling alleging procedural error.

After six weeks of proceedings, around thirty witnesses taking the stand, and nearly four days of deliberations , these are the ten key points of the new ' Weinstein case.'

The accusers in this case were again Miriam Haley , a former production assistant on the reality show "Project Runway" who accused Weinstein of forcibly performing oral sex on her in 2006, and actress Jessica Mann , who claims Weinstein raped her in a New York hotel in 2013.

They were joined by Kaja Sokola , a Polish woman who met Weinstein as a young model and who also claims that the producer forced her to perform oral sex on him in 2006.

The jury found Haley's testimony credible and rejected the charge relating to Sokola, while it will continue to deliberate on the Mann rape .

Prosecutors , who called the accusers as part of their dozen witnesses—including medical professionals who explained possible inconsistencies in the accusations' story—have described Weinstein as a mogul who took advantage of his power to sexually assault women seeking advancement in Hollywood and who he thought would not report him for fear of "burying their careers."

2-"Friends with benefits," according to the defense

Weinstein 's defense, led by controversial attorney Arthur Aidala, has argued that his client maintained a completely consensual "friends with benefits" relationship with these three women and that, in any case, he would be the "victim," since, according to the lawyer, the accusers "tried to cash in once the #MeToo movement broke out."

Among the most compromising documents provided by the Oscar-winning producer's lawyers were several affectionate emails exchanged between Haley and Weinstein years after the reported events , which unleashed the accuser's wrath.

"Don't tell me I wasn't raped by that fucking bastard !" she cried through tears under cross-examination by the defense in a session that had to be interrupted because the woman even left the room sobbing.

Haley defended herself against these accusations by arguing that she continued to maintain contact because she was " numb and didn't know how to react," and because she was afraid of outing herself in the industry and ruining her Hollywood career.

4-A Prosecutor's Office with 'lead feet'

In this case, the Prosecutor's Office focused as evidence only on the reported facts , after four witnesses - Annabella Sciorra, Dawn Dunning, Tarale Wulff and Lauren Young - came to testify at the 2020 trial who had not filed a complaint but were called to reinforce the main story with other similar incidents with Weinstein .

This ultimately led to the dismissal of the first trial because these events were not included in the case file, improperly influenced the jury , and prevented the tycoon from receiving a fair trial, according to an appeals court.

5- Weinstein did not testify but showed ' gratitude '

Weinstein , advised by Aidala, invoked his right not to testify, but the "Pulp Fiction" producer did speak during the final session of the trial before deliberations to thank the court staff.

"I was treated incredibly fairly, from the court officers to the court clerks . So I just want to thank them for that," he said, his voice raspy.

6-A jury with a female majority

Unlike the first trial , where the panel of twelve regular members consisted of seven men and five women, this time the distribution was exactly the opposite : seven women and five men.

7-A deep-seated deliberation

The deliberations lasted for nearly four days with turbulent moments and bitter exchanges between the jury .

One of the members withdrew from the proceedings due to "anxiety" hours before the deliberations were to begin; another member asked to resign—which the judge denied—having witnessed "several injustices" in reaching the verdict; and a request was made to review various medical records, testimony , the rules of deliberation, and a clarification of the concept of "reasonable doubt."

8-A #MeToo that has fallen on hard times

The serious sexual accusations against Weinstein fueled the #MeToo movement in 2017, which reached a global scale, denouncing the abuse of power at the heart of Hollywood.

As a result, a wave of indignation sparked mass demonstrations outside the courthouse in 2020 as Weinstein 's first trial in the Big Apple was being heard.

• Significantly, those scenes have not been repeated this time .

9-Another prison sentence in a different case

Beyond today's verdict, Weinstein , who has spent time in some of New York's strictest prisons since his conviction - such as Rikers Island - will also remain in prison for another 16-year sentence in Los Angeles for other cases of rape and sexual assault .

10- Weinstein 's fragile health

Virtually since the start of this new trial, the media mogul has remained in jail at Bellevue Medical Center (New York) due to leukemia and heart problems, among other conditions that have landed him in the hospital on more than one occasion.

In fact, his trips to the court building have been in a wheelchair, in which he has been seated at all times.

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