Harvey Weinstein accuser takes stand in Los Angeles after New York testimony
(Reuters) – Harvey Weinstein accuser Jessica Mann stepped out onto a Los Angeles downtown street, flanked by police officers, to share her story with a crowd of reporters on Wednesday, two years after she accused Weinstein of sexual harassment.
Mann, a fashion designer who told her story for the first time in New York City in November, was arrested for shoplifting before she spoke at the “Women, War, Peace, Power, Revolution” rally, organized by the Los Angeles Times and Women’s March.
During the hourlong conversation, Mann’s voice trembled as she recalled being groped and harassed over the years, but said she had believed herself as a victim.
Weinstein, who denies any allegations of non-consensual sex, is facing multiple lawsuits involving dozens of women, including several who say they had sex with the producer on the set of movies he was making at the time.
The new allegations from Mann, who alleges Weinstein gave her the “golden shower” while he was in New York in the summer of 2013, follow New York Times allegations that Weinstein raped a woman. Weinstein has denied any non-consensual sex between him and women.
Mann was released without bail on Wednesday and was taken to a Los Angeles jail for questioning by detectives in the rape case, Los Angeles police told Reuters.
It was unclear how many people attended the protest, which was billed as “Mansplaining,” but the Times estimated more than 1,000 people attended.
The Times interviewed Mann for the article, which included a photo taken from her cell phone of her handcuffed hands and ankles and the word “rape” written in marker on her cheek.
“This is how I want to remember Harvey Weinstein and this fight,” Mann said in her statement on Wednesday. “I’m ready and able to tell my story.”
Tough questioning
The Los Angeles Times interviewed Mann three times before publishing her account in November, and she said it was a harrowing experience. She said she was taken to a downtown police station when she showed up on the third day of her three-day appearance.
Cops drove her to a downtown police station where detectives began questioning her, she said in a statement on Wednesday. She was offered $1,200 bail or $1,000 bond, she said.
Police then drove her to Westwood Village
