Eric Weinberg trial opens with shocking photos, 7 accusers
Jurors in Los Angeles were shown explicit photos on Thursday, Oct. 1, as the Eric Weinberg trial got underway with opening statements. Prosecutors say the former “Scrubs” writer and producer posed as an amateur photographer to lure seven women to his Los Feliz home and sexually assaulted them, Variety reported.
Weinberg, 66, who also worked on “Californication,” faces 23 counts of rape and sexual assault and has been jailed since 2022 awaiting trial. He pleaded not guilty when first charged and is presumed innocent.
Prosecutor: ‘In reality the women were never safe’
Prosecutor Ariel Anson opened the Eric Weinberg trial by telling jurors that Weinberg cultivated a trustworthy public persona. “These women believed the defendant was this successful, kind family man,” she said in her opening statement. “They believed he would uphold their boundaries … In reality the women were never safe.”
She described him as someone who “could be very charming and friendly and charismatic,” adding, “He carefully used that mask and a pattern systematically with these women over and over.”
Both sides showed jurors explicit images Weinberg took of the accusers. In a couple of them, his hand can be seen grabbing a woman by the throat, according to Variety. “The reason we have these photographs is because the defendant documented and took photographs of the assaults as they were happening,” Anson said. Weinberg later gave the women copies, and some asked him to delete them.
Defense: ‘Is he a criminal?’
Defense attorney Philip Cohen conceded that some jurors might already view his client as a “creep” but said that isn’t enough to convict. “When you take away the bias, the sympathy, the creep factor, and you look at what the law requires, they have a problem in this case,” he said.
Cohen argued that a guilty verdict on the sexual assault counts in the Eric Weinberg trial requires proof that Weinberg knew the women were afraid, and he pointed to photos in which some of them are smiling. “There is not one indication that Weinberg knew of anybody’s fear and took advantage of it,” he said. He also told jurors the women’s accounts became more damaging over time and that Weinberg’s ex-wife contacted some of them for declarations in her custody fight because she wanted to “put Eric away” and help them win civil payouts.
Who will testify in the Eric Weinberg trial
The Eric Weinberg trial is expected to run six to eight weeks. The seven women, identified in court only by their first names, are expected to testify with emotional support dogs at their side, and an eighth woman whose allegations aren’t part of the charges will also take the stand, Variety reported.
Prosecutors also plan to call forensic psychologist Barbara Ziv, who often testifies about “rape myths,” to explain why some of the women appeared to placate Weinberg or downplay what happened. “They didn’t fight or kick or scream,” Anson said. “What they were trying to do was make sure they got out safely.”
How the case against Weinberg began
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office first charged Weinberg in October 2022 with 18 felony counts involving five women, including rape, oral copulation, forcible sexual penetration, sexual battery by restraint and false imprisonment, CBS News reported. He pleaded not guilty to those charges that month. The Eric Weinberg trial now covers seven women and 23 counts.
“The defendant relied on his Hollywood credentials to lure young women for photo shoots where he allegedly sexually assaulted them,” then-District Attorney George Gascón said at the time. The charged attacks allegedly occurred between 2014 and 2019, though investigators said there could be other victims dating to the 1990s. Police had investigated Weinberg several times before, but prosecutors declined to file charges for lack of evidence, Gascón said.
The first public allegations surfaced in 2020, when documents in Weinberg’s divorce and custody case included accounts from three women who said he assaulted them during photo shoots, the Los Angeles Times reported, according to CBS News.
Juror conduct and accuser testimony have shaped other high-profile Hollywood cases, including Harvey Weinstein’s juror intimidation claims. Follow the Eric Weinberg trial and other court cases in our special interests coverage, and see more industry news in our TV and streaming section.