Harvey Weinstein trial - live: Movie mogul in court over charges of rape and sexual assault, two years after first allegations
Two years after he was accused of rape and sexual assault, the opening statements in movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's trial got under way today.
Weinstein, once one of Hollywood's most powerful producers, denies the charges.
More than 80 women have publicly accused the 67-year-old of sexual misconduct, helping to fuel the #MeToo movement over the last two years. The criminal charges against him refer to three of those accusers.
Predatory sexual assault is the most serious charge against Weinstein, carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Weinstein's lead lawyer, Donna Rotunno, says Weinstein had a "slew of witnesses ready to go".
Follow our live blog below for updates from the court.
Prosecutors are set to begin presenting their rape case against Harvey Weinstein today, with the once-powerful Hollywood producer facing life in prison if convicted, in a trial that has become a watershed moment for the #MeToo movement.
A recent report in the New York Times said Weinstein has, for the last year and a half, been "holed up on his own in a rented apartment in Manhattan, reading books, watching streamed TV shows, Googling himself and nervously obsessing about the outcome of this trial"
The scene outside court today was quiet compared to the start of proceedings earlier this month, when Weinstein's team complained that noisy sidewalk demonstrations could be heard inside the courtroom.
When asked how he was feeling by one of the roughly 100 reporters and photographers, Weinstein replied: "Better."
Last month, Weinstein gave an interview to the New York Post, in which he griped that his work had been overshadowed by the accusations, as he argued he deserved praise for championing women in film.
After opening statements, prosecutors are expected to call a former member of the board of directors at Weinstein's old movie studio to testify about how the company handled allegations against him.
Backed by expected testimony from four other accusers - including actress Annabella Sciorra — prosecutors will attempt to portray Weinstein as a monster who used his power to ingratiate himself with women, sometimes promising a film role or other career advancement, before sexually assaulting or raping them.
"They will each describe their fear, their shame and their humiliation - the struggle each went through to push their trauma down and show a brave face to the world," Hast said in her opening statement.
She detailed allegations that Weinstein sexually assaulted Sciorra around 1993 after giving the "Sopranos" actress a ride home to her Manhattan apartment and pushing his way inside.
"She told him to get out. She told him no. But Harvey Weinstein was undeterred."
Dozens of women have accused Weinstein of sexually harassing or assaulting them over the years, but the New York charges are limited to two allegations: that Weinstein raped a woman in a New York City hotel room in 2013 and forcibly performed oral sex on another woman in his apartment in 2006.
Another time, after the woman told him she had a new boyfriend, Weinstein dragged her into a bedroom, "all the while screaming at her that he owed her one more time," Hast said. "He ripped her jeans off so forcefully that it left scratch marks."
The prosecutor said Weinstein later told the woman, "I just want to apologise for what happened earlier. I just find you so attractive, I couldn't resist you."
In a failed last-ditch attempt to get the trial moved, Weinstein's lawyers said chants of "The rapist is you!" at street level could be heard in the courtroom, 15 floors above.
A large TV screen in court flashed images of victims or pictures meant to convey Weinstein's power, including one of him with former President Bill Clinton.
The scene outside the court has been relatively quiet today. Weinstein's defence team had used recent demonstrations to make a failed bid to change the venue due to the "carnival-like atmosphere" at the courthouse.
Even if he is acquitted in Manhattan, Weinstein faces separate criminal charges announced earlier this month by prosecutors in Los Angeles.
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