One of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers testified this week at the infamous mogul’s rape trial that actor Mel Gibson was once a trusted confidant.
Los Angeles County prosecutors have charged Harvey Weinstein with 11 counts of sexual assault coming from allegations made by five different women between 2004 and 2013 that Weinstein abused them in hotels in Los Angeles.
Weinstein is already serving a 23-year sentence in a New York jail as a result of a trial on the East Coast, but he risks an additional life sentence as a result of proceedings on the West Coast. He has denied the charges and entered a not guilty plea.
All five women are slated to testify against Weinstein, along with four “previous bad acts witnesses” whose testimony is unrelated to the criminal accusations but may be considered by the jury as prosecutors attempt to demonstrate Weinstein’s alleged pattern of behavior.
Wednesday, one of the primary accusers in the case testified and described the alleged assault. According to the trial pool report, the lady, designated as Jane Doe 3, was alone in a hotel room with Weinstein in 2010. She testified that she was a massage therapist who catered to high-profile and celebrity clientele.
She stated that after 40 minutes on the table, Weinstein abruptly ended the massage, stating he was finished. She was washing her hands in the bathroom when Weinstein barged in naked and began masturbating, according to her testimony. Jane Doe 3 stated that she requested him to leave, citing his inappropriate behavior.
According to the pool report, she testified, “He said, ‘Look at me, tell me how big my cock is.’”
She stated that he pulled her against the wall and began to feel her chest beneath her bra. She stated that despite her protests, Weinstein continued to touch and masturbate with her. Jane Doe 3 said, according to the pool report, that he attempted to portray the encounter as unremarkable upon completion.
She said that she kept the attack a secret for months out of concern that speaking out would negatively affect her job and access to notable massage clients. However, she eventually revealed the purported attack to an improbable confidant.
Jane Doe 3 stated she was giving Mel Gibson a massage when he mentioned a potential collaboration with Harvey Weinstein. She stated that she began to “panic out” and questioned Gibson’s desire to collaborate with Weinstein. She began crying and confided in him about the incident after he inquired about her reaction, she explained.
“He was the first person I confided in about what had transpired,” she claimed, according to the pool report. “I informed him that he sexually abused me, but I did not want to go into detail. I was ashamed and embarrassed.”
Gibson inquired if she desired to contact the police. She said that he also suggested she speak with one of his female acquaintances.
A Gibson spokeswoman did not react immediately to Insider’s request for comment.
The prosecution stated they intend to call Gibson as a witness in the case, but Weinstein’s defense attorney stated he will bring up the actor’s antisemitic past if he testifies.
Mark Werksman, Weinstein’s attorney, pressed Jane Doe 3 during Thursday’s cross-examination to explain why she massaged Weinstein many times after the initial event and engaged in negotiations with his publishing business about a prospective nude massage book.
“Your narrative is comparable to the U.S. economy’s 8% inflation rate,” Werksman stated. You didn’t want to terminate the book agreement and warn Weinstein, “Bad guy, no more massages,” did you?
Werksman asserted that Jane Doe 3’s story evolved during discussions between 2016 and 2020 with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office and authorities.
She stated, “This is one of the reasons why I did not want to come out.” Because this is humiliating.