Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer will argue that his client had “consensual sex” with Jennifer Siebel Newsom and did not sexually assault her.
The new argument comes in light of the discovery of an email Siebel Newsom had sent to Weinstein in 2007 asking the Hollywood producer for advice regarding an affair Gavin Newsom had with an aide while he was mayor of San Francisco. The email was sent shortly after Siebel Newsom and Newsom, who is now governor of California, began dating but prior to their marriage and two years after Weinstein allegedly assaulted the actress and filmmaker in a hotel room in the Los Angeles area, according to Deadline.
JUDGE PARTIALLY DISMISSES MISCONDUCT LAWSUIT AGAINST KEVIN SPACEY
“Of all things you’d think a woman that is raped by Harvey Weinstein wouldn’t do, it’s [ask him] how to deal with a sex scandal,” defense lawyer Mark Werksman told the court. “The fact that she comes to Mr. Weinstein for that advice indicates the friendship and companionship of Jane Doe 4 and Mr. Weinstein.”
Siebel Newsom married Newsom in 2008 while he was serving as the mayor of San Francisco. Newsom then served as California’s lieutenant governor from 2011 to 2019 before entering office as the state’s governor in 2019, a position for which he is running for reelection against Republican state Sen. Brian Dahle.
Weinstein’s legal team gained a small victory on Monday when Los Angeles Judge Lisa Lench ruled that the defense could ask about the 2007 email Siebel Newsom sent Weinstein, though the judge limited the scope of discussion, saying defense lawyers cannot ask about an alleged affair Newsom had while he was mayor. While Werksman has argued that including the details of the email is important to his case, Lench contended that Werksman was overstating the case by claiming his client’s due process was at stake, according to Fox News.
The first lady of California, who has been identified as Jane Doe #4 in court documents, is one of five women who are testifying against Weinstein in the Los Angeles trial, according to the Los Angeles Times. Siebel Newsom made her claims against Weinstein, who has denied the sexual assault ever took place, in a 2017 article.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
On Friday, Lench ruled that Hollywood actor and director Mel Gibson could testify about what he learned from Jane Doe #3, one of Weinstein’s accusers. Prosecutors claim that Jane Doe #3 had a traumatic response after Gibson mentioned Weinstein’s name and that Gibson learned from her that she had been sexually assaulted, according to the Associated Press.
Weinstein faces 11 accusations of sexual assault from his five accusers, and he faces 135 years in prison. He is already serving a 23-year prison sentence for sexual assault in New York.
