Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, takes the stand in Harvey Weinstein trial - CNN

Los Angeles CNN  — 

Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a filmmaker and the woman of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, took the basal successful Harvey Weinstein’s intersexual battle trial successful Los Angeles connected Monday, astatine times breaking into tears portion alleging helium raped her successful a edifice country successful 2005.

Weinstein has pleaded not blameworthy to aggregate intersexual battle charges, including 4 counts of rape, 4 counts of forcible oral copulation, intersexual penetration by unit and intersexual artillery by restraint successful incidents dating from 2004 to 2013.

Siebel Newsom was being cross-examined by the defence squad erstwhile the justice halted proceedings for the day. She volition resume her grounds Tuesday morning.

Earlier, Siebel Newsom, the 4th accuser to testify, said she was “a small nervous,” and grew affectional soon aft taking the stand.

Asked by authoritative Marlene Martinez whether she could spot Weinstein successful tribunal Monday, Siebel Newsom began to outcry and said “yes” into the microphone successful a shaky voice.

“He’s wearing a suit, and a bluish necktie and he’s staring astatine me,” she said.

She told the tribunal she met the media mogul erstwhile she was 31 years aged successful 2005 portion astatine a barroom with different manufacture friends during the Toronto Film Festival. “There was this large idiosyncratic coming towards maine and it felt similar everybody benignant of backed away,” she recalled, saying, “It felt similar the Red Sea was parting.”

He past introduced himself to her and asked her to conscionable with him aboriginal to proceed their speech due to the fact that helium had a meeting, she testified.

“I felt similar I had to spell conscionable with him … possibly he’ll springiness maine bully advice.. I thought that determination was a genuine involvement successful talking to maine astir my work,” she said, adding she and a person met with Weinstein astatine a antithetic edifice bar.

Weinstein “was truly focused connected telling maine I was special,” Siebel Newsom told the court, adding Weinstein told her helium wished helium could enactment and speech immoderate more, but had to drawback a formation to New York.

She said Weinstein past contacted her astatine the extremity of September 2005 erstwhile helium was successful Los Angeles, and she was surviving successful the West Hollywood neighborhood. He dropped by a enactment she was having for 5 minutes and, according to Siebel Newsom, said: “I’ll beryllium successful touch, I’d similar to person a repast with you oregon a portion oregon thing and proceed the conversation. We tin speech astir your movie projects.”

He called and invited her to a edifice wherever an adjunct told her the gathering would beryllium successful Weinstein’s suite, she testified. After she arrived, either Weinstein oregon an adjunct told everyone successful the country to leave, she told the court.

She described Weinstein arsenic uninterested successful proceeding astir her projects. “He abruptly got up and said I’m going to spell get much comfortable,” she said.

According to her testimony, Weinstein was down a hallway, bent implicit portion wearing a robe. “Can you assistance me?” she says helium asked.

“Then I saw that helium was touching himself, and helium grabbed me,” she told the assemblage arsenic she began to cry.

He was assertive and she tried to backmost away, she said.

Weinstein softened his approach, she testified, but yet helium carried oregon dragged her to the chamber and raped her.

When asked by a authoritative wherefore she remained successful the edifice suite, she said, “Because you don’t accidental nary to Harvey Weinstein. He could marque oregon ruin your career. I thought I was going to sermon my projects.”

Siebel Newsom said she didn’t archer anyone that nighttime nor did she telephone constabulary astir the incident.

“I was truthful violated and I don’t cognize however that happened,” she said done tears. “I didn’t spot the clues and I didn’t cognize however to escape.”

Defense lawyer Mark Werksman said successful his opening connection October 24 that Siebel Newsom had consensual enactment with Weinstein due to the fact that she wanted his assistance getting roles and producing films.

He took peculiar purpose astatine her, attacking her credibility utilizing crude language.

“She’s made herself a salient unfortunate successful the #MeToo question … different she’d beryllium conscionable different bimbo who slept with Harvey Weinstein to get up successful Hollywood,” Werksman said.

On Monday, helium spent immoderate clip focused connected whether the politician – who Siebel Newsom joined successful 2008 – knew of the alleged rape astatine the clip helium accepted a run contributions from Weinstein. Siebel Newsom said she asked the run unit to inquire Weinstein for wealth but Newsom returned the funds “right away” successful October 2017 aft figuring retired thing happened.

“I told him that Harvey was sketchy astatine antithetic times, and helium picked up connected it himself erstwhile helium met him,” she testified.

Weinstein is charged with forcible oral copulation and forcible rape of Jane Doe 4 betwixt September 1, 2004 and September 30, 2005, according to tribunal documents. Jane Doe 4 has been identified arsenic Siebel Newsom.

Siebel Newsom is simply a Stanford University postgraduate who has written, directed and produced respective documentaries, including “Miss Representation,” “The Mask You Live In” and “The Great American Lie.” During her clip arsenic California’s archetypal partner, Siebel Newsom has advocated for moving mothers and launched initiatives focused connected closing the sex wage gap, among different efforts.

The proceedings successful California is his 2nd specified intersexual battle lawsuit since reporting by The New York Times and The New Yorker successful 2017 revealed Weinstein’s alleged past of intersexual abuse, harassment and concealed settlements arsenic helium utilized his power arsenic a Hollywood powerfulness broker to instrumentality vantage of young women.

Weinstein was found blameworthy successful 2020 successful New York of first-degree transgression intersexual enactment and third-degree rape and was sentenced to 23 years successful prison. He has maintained his innocence, and New York’s highest tribunal agreed successful August to perceive his entreaty successful the case.