Harvey Weinstein motives are disputed as sex crimes retrial begins

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Harvey Weinstein’s retrial on rape and sexual assault charges got underway on Wednesday, as a prosecutor and a defense lawyer offered starkly contrasting explanations for the disgraced movie mogul's encounters with women who hoped to make it big in Hollywood.

Prosecutor Shannon Lucey told jurors in a New York state court in Manhattan that Weinstein exploited his status as a Hollywood gatekeeper and power broker to prey upon and sexually abuse women, then assured their silence by holding their careers hostage.

"Harvey Weinstein had enormous control over those working in TV and film because he decided who was in and who was out," Lucey said in her opening statement. "He had all the power. They had none."

Prosecutors have portrayed Weinstein as a serial predator who promised career advancement in Hollywood to women, only to then coax them into hotel rooms and private apartments where he overpowered and attacked them.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/jury-hear-opening-statements-harvey-101051243.html

Let him rot.