Creep or criminal? Sexual assault trial of TV writer begins

LOS ANGELES (CN) — In opening arguments Thursday, prosecutors said a former television writer and producer developed a pattern that led to accusations by seven women who say he sexually assaulted them in the 2010s.Prosecutors say Eric Weinberg, 66, known for his work on shows such as “Scrubs” and “Californication,” would meet young women in public, describe himself as a successful TV writer and amateur photographer and ask if he could photograph them.“These women believed the defendant was a successful, kind, family man,” Deputy District Attorney Ariel Anson told the jury. “They believed he would uphold their boundaries like he promised.”Once in his house, Weinberg reportedly induced the women into posing for nude or revealing photographs; at a certain point during the sessions, he would begin touching them sexually, prosecutors said.“In reality, the women were never safe,” Anson added. “This was never about a photo shoot. This was never about modeling. It was all for him.”Anson showed the jury some of the photographs taken by Weinberg, showing women being digitally penetrated by Weinberg — without their consent, Anson said. Other photographs showed the women giving Weinberg oral sex.Weinberg’s attorney, Philip Cohen, in his opening statement, admitted that his client was a “creep, by many people’s articulation.” But, he said, Weinberg hadn’t broken the law.Weinberg is facing 23 counts, comprising five different charges: forcible oral copulation, sexual battery, attempt to commit sexual penetration, sexual penetration with force and forcible rape.Most of those charges say the sexual acts must be “accomplished against the victim’s will by means of force, violence, duress, menace, or fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury.”Cohen promised that the prosecutors couldn’t prove those conditions.“They were never in fear,” Cohen said. “You want to raise your son like that? No. But does that make it criminal?”Weinberg, he insisted, never knew that the women he was with were uncomfortable or afraid of him. He said one of the women will testify that Weinberg asked her, “Do you want me to put my dick inside of you?” When she replied, “Not really,” he let the matter rest.“What rapist listens to the command of the victim?” Cohen asked.But Rachel K., who testified Thursday afternoon, after opening arguments, said Weinberg was far from compliant, let alone sensitive to her needs. None of the women are using their last names in the trial.Rachel, who appeared on the witness stand along with a court-provided support dog, said he removed her clothes without permission, ignoring her attempts to put them back on. Once naked, she said, she became afraid that she would be assaulted — or worse.“I didn’t say anything,” Rachel said. “I kind of froze up. And I went through the motions, I guess, kind of on autopilot … I think I just went blank … just, ‘Get through it, whatever is happening in this moment.’”Anson said that several of the women will testify that Weinberg was concerned that they might go to police.“We’re good right?" he asked one of them, according to Anson. “Because I have a family.”“You’re not going to go to the cops and say I raped you, right?” he asked another, Anson said.Two of the women called the police right after their interactions with Weinberg. One of them, Kayra, told investigators: “I’m like, it wasn’t rape. But maybe it was.”Her case was investigated by LAPD officers, who interviewed Weinberg. No charges were filed. Another woman, Avian, also went to the police, three days after what she says was an assault. According to Anson, her case was never fully investigated, and no charges were filed.The other five women remained silent until 2022. They were, said Anson, wracked with shame, guilt and embarrassment, blaming themselves for naively putting themselves in such a dangerous situation.“What changed?” Cohen asked.Two women, he said, conspired to take Weinberg down: his ex-wife, Hilary Bidwell, who was locked in a bitter custody dispute with Weinberg; and Claire Wilson, who is not an accuser in the trial, but who had a negative experience with Weinberg and went public about it.Cohen told the jury that Bidwell wanted to “put Eric away," and hired a private investigator and civil attorney to find women mistreated by her ex-husband, with whom she had three children.Following that effort, Cohen said, the LAPD reopened their investigation into Weinberg. The women were reinterviewed and, he said, their “stories significantly change … New memories come up. New people come forward. New recollections.”Roughly 14 unnamed women have sued Weinberg for sexual assault. It’s unclear how many of those women are among the reported victims in the criminal trial.“They’re looking for a whole lot of money,” Cohen said.Rachel K. will return to the stand Friday morning. Weinberg’s criminal trial is expected to last about six weeks, and include the testimony of all seven alleged victims, as well as Bidwell and Wilson.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads