Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers are arguing during his Los Angeles sexual assault trial that his accusers are unreliable because their accounts failed to mention his abnormal testicles.
The topic has already come up several times, Variety reports, and is expected to remain a focus of ensuing testimony. During opening statements to the jury, the prosecutor, deputy D.A. Paul Thompson, spoke about a 1999 surgery that relocated portions of Weinstein’s genitalia. “Because of an infection, his testicles were actually taken from his scrotum and put into his inner thighs,” he said.
On October 24th, Jane Doe #1 took the stand. A European model who spoke with the help of a translator, she accused Weinstein of a violent hotel room assault in 2013. She said Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex, demanding that she “suck him and suck his balls.”
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“He forced me to do what he asked…” she said. “I was crying, choking.”
During cross examination on October 26th, Weinstein’s attorney Alan Jackson attempted to poke holes in Jane Doe #1’s testimony. He referred to one of her conversations with police, where, according to Jackson, she told them “his balls were in your mouth.” The lawyer then accused her of altering the detail later. “The reason that you changed your story is because you realized at some point that Mr. Weinstein does not have testicles in his scrotum,” Jackson said.
Jane Doe #1 disagreed, saying she had mentioned his abnormal genitalia to law enforcement from the beginning. “I recall that he didn’t have one,” she said. “It was like empty skin.”
Jackson also grilled her on why she didn’t try calling for help during the alleged attack, as well as why she posted apparently happy social media statements in the days that followed. “I was trying to deny to myself that this happened to me,” she explained. “My public life is part of my job.”
Weinstein is facing 11 sexual assault charges involving five women between 2004 and 2013. He is already serving 23 years in prison after being found guilty in New York of first degree sexual assault and third degree rape.
If you or someone you know has been impacted by sexual misconduct, you can reach out for support:
RAINN Hotline
1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
http://www.rainn.org
Crisis Text Line
SMS: Text “HERE” to 741-741
http://www.facebook.com/crisistextline (chat support)
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