Model and actress Lauren Young alleged in court Wednesday that Harvey Weinstein groped her while she was trapped in a bathroom with him in 2013, becoming the final accuser to testify in his rape trial.
Young told jurors she met Weinstein at a hotel to discuss a movie script of hers. Once there, she alleges the disgraced producer trapped her in a bathroom, where he masturbated in front her and groped her, USA Today reports.
"I felt so trapped," she said, per The Hollywood Reporter. "I tried to approach [the door], and he stepped in front of me."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Young also testified that Weinstein pulled down her dress while masturbating. "I said, 'No, No, No,' the whole time," she said, adding she told Weinstein "that I had a boyfriend and I wasn't interested," Variety reports. Weinstein allegedly told Young, "How am I going to know if you can act?"
According to Young's account, she went to the hotel to meet with Weinstein and another woman, Claudia Salinas, who allegedly closed the bathroom door on her and Weinstein.
"The girl that invited me closed the door, she left me there," Young testified, per USA Today. "That's when I realized, 'this was set up, she put me in here.'"
Weinstein is facing charges for allegedly forcibly performing oral sex on a woman in 2006 and raping a woman in 2013, but prosecutors called several other accusers, including Young, to establish a pattern of behavior. Weinstein is facing separate charges in Los Angeles in connection to Young's allegation, as well as for allegedly raping another woman.
Young is the sixth and final witness prosecutors have called in Weinstein's trial. He has pleaded not guilty, and if convicted, he's facing possible life in prison. The New York Times' writes Young's testimony is "expected to be one of the last pieces of evidence the Manhattan district attorney's office presents before resting its case."
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.