Veteran Hollywood actor Mel Gibson will be able to testify in support of one of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers in the film producer’s ongoing rape and sexual assault trial.
Mel Gibson can testify about what he learned from one of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers, a judge ruled in the former movie mogul’s rape and sexual assault trial.
Judge Lisa B. Lench. and attorneys took a break from jury selection to make motions about what evidence will be allowed at trial and who can testify.
It was then that the controversial Hollywood actor’s name was among those revealed as potential witnesses in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Gibson, 66, will testify as a witness for Jane Doe No. 3, who alleges Weinstein, 70, committed sexual assault by restraining her, marking one of 11 rape and sexual assault charges against him.
The woman claims that in 2010, she gave Weinstein a massage at a Beverly Hills hotel and was then followed by him into a bathroom where she masturbated, prosecutors said. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty and denied the allegation.
Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers, for their part, argued against allowing Gibson to testify, saying what he learned about the woman while receiving a massage from her does not constitute a “new complaint” of her under the law under which the actor I would take the stand.
It’s worth noting that Gibson’s testimony will depend on how the accuser describes the exchange with him when he takes the stand, and he may choose to rule against it at that point, Lench said.
The hearing comes nearly two months after the New York State Court of Appeals granted Weinstein an appeal of his 2020 rape conviction, which resulted in a 23-year prison sentence.
His trial in Los Angeles is expected to last eight weeks, with jury selection starting Monday and opening statements on October 24.