Losing Aura

A woman, who appeared to be serious and in her sixties, began the proceedings. "We have Knight v. Weinstein today. This is a court of law, not a Hollywood show. I expect everyone here to act accordingly."

Harvey's lawyer was a slick man in an expensive suit. "My client denies everything Mr. Knight has said about him," he said. "It's just youth stardom trying to get attention by making up stories about my client."

Lucas' attorney stood next; she was sharp-eyed and grey-haired. "Your honor, we have plenty of evidence that Mr. Weinstein has been defaming my client as well as violently attacking people his whole life," she said, painting her client as someone who spoke for victims who had stayed silent too long.

All through this Harvey kept staring at Lucas like ice picks from across the room.

Cameras caught that and every other little look and twitch among these people.

The courtroom went quiet when Lucas took the stand to testify on his own behalf. He spoke steadily about financing-victims allegations.

"I only supported those who needed it," he said calmly. "These women hadn't been given a voice for too long, and I didn't pay anybody to lie or exaggerate – I just gave them the means to tell their truth."

Afterwards representatives from Lucas' charity were brought before the court, producing immaculate records of where each cent had gone and proving none of it had been misused or funneled into any smear campaign.

Financial records were pored over and witnesses grilled as the court listened closely; with each passing moment another one of Harvey's charges against Lucas crumbled under its own weight.

Living rooms hummed with talk while these proceedings played out on screens across America.

In a suburban Ohio living room one family watched raptly.

"That Lucas kid seems genuine no matter what Harvey says," the father opined.

His teenage daughter nodded. "He can't be lying – look at all the good stuff he's done."

In a New York apartment friends debated.

"I don't know, guys. Hollywood's a messed-up place. Maybe Lucas isn't as clean as he looks," one said dubiously.

"Oh, come on!" his friend retorted. "Harvey has been weird for years. Somebody had to say something."

In the courtroom Jennifer sat in the gallery, watching Lucas with worry and support written in every line of her face. Harvey glared at him from across the room but Lucas met his eyes without wavering.

Things took an uglier turn when Harvey's team produced their paid witnesses, each with a scripted story meant to discredit Lucas.

Lucas' attorney leaned in and murmured, "Don't worry – it'll fall apart on cross-examination."

Lucas grimaced; he knew this was how it worked but that didn't make listening to these lies any easier.

Still, when they completed with their paid-for testimonies, social platforms teemed with skepticism.

"Does anybody else think these 'witnesses' sound like they're reading from a script? #NotBuyingIt," tweeted @Goodboy99.

According to @TMZ_fan, "Sources say Harvey's team is paying for them handsomely. Is he desperate or what? #HarveyVsLucas"

As Harvey's paid witnesses finished their testimonies, Lucas' legal team prepared to present their own case. The atmosphere inside the court shifted when the first of Harvey's victims took the stand.

A young actress told her story through trembling lips. It was different from other side — emotional and sincere, not rehearsed.

More women followed suit, each recounting tales of abuse and manipulation. Their words were damning; they painted a picture of what Harvey had done over years.

There were moments in these testimonies when Lucas would look at Bob Weinstein. He hoped Bob might be swayed — might decide to stand up and back these women up. But Bob refused to meet his eye. His face showed conflict but he wouldn't take a side.

Lucas sighed inwardly. Without Bob's testimony, this case could go on forever — and even if he won, there were ways Harvey could buy his way out of real consequences.

The proceedings went on as both sides presented evidence and arguments.

Evidence and arguments were presented by both sides as the proceedings forged ahead. The courtroom was still heavy with tension because everyone knew: This was one of those moments that changed Hollywood forever.

Outside the crowd grew larger. Supporters from both camps held up billboard signs and shouted slogans that carried through the walls of the court house itself. The world watched to see if this was finally going to be when an abuser in power got held accountable or just another day where nothing changed at all.

The session ended and there were journalists everywhere. They rushed the two sides with their microphones, but Lucas stayed cool.

"On what I said in court, I can only repeat: This is not about me; it's about giving a voice to people who've been silenced for too long," Lucas said, typically composed.

Harvey fought his way through the crowd. His face was twisted with rage and he screamed "get out of my sight!" as he threw microphones from his path. The more they yelled at him, the angrier he got — when one jeered and threw a wadded paper at him, he snapped.

But it all came crashing down inside Harvey's car.

"Fucking vultures! This whole thing is nothing but a witch hunt!"

Bob sat quietly beside him while his brother raged. When they got home, Bob made up his mind.

As Harvey went to his room to "calm down," Bob slipped into Harvey's office. His hands shook slightly as he began rummaging through drawers and files.

"There has to be something here," Bob mumbled as he sorted through papers.

There were financial records showing payments for silence, electronic mails discussing understandings with young actresses and even a list of women annotated about their "consent."

Each time Bob found more proof his heart sank lower; Harvey had clearly been far more careless than he'd thought. Non-disclosure agreements, threats, payoffs – everything was there in black and white.

On his phone, Bob photographed every incriminating document one by one; relief mixed with guilt washed over him. He had turned on his own brother but it was also long overdue.

As soon as he finished and began putting things back where they belonged, Harvey came closer with heavy steps. The office door had barely closed behind him when Bob fled down the hall so fast he could feel his heart thudding in his chest; just in time, he hid the evidence on his cell phone.

Having this information meant that Harvey might be ended if not stopped from further spreading terror among people. Walking past his brother in the corridor, he gave him a stiff nod.

***

A day later the court was once again a hive of activity. The crowd backing Lucas had grown, their cries and signs creating a wall of unity. Teams of camera men pushed each other to get into position, hoping to capture every moment of the unfolding drama.

The proceedings restarted within the courtroom. Lucas sat at the table for the plaintiff, appearing outwardly calm despite his growing gut feeling that something was wrong. He knew that there had been a change in atmosphere of the court–the scales were now slightly tipped in Harvey's favour.

Harvey's legal team brought out several new witnesses whose testimonies were damning against Lucas and seemed believable. The cameras zoomed in on his face, looking for any sign that he might be cracking under pressure.

Lucas kept up his poker face – years spent as an actor had trained him well – but internally he was beginning to worry. Bob's phone call from last night had given him hope, but as the testimony dragged on, he began to wonder whether Bob would actually come through or not.

As time wore on and more accusations piled up against Lucas it felt like weights were being stacked onto his shoulders with each passing minute. The judge's expression turned increasingly skeptical; even some of Lucas' most ardent supporters among those sitting in gallery seats behind him started looking uneasy.

Just as Lucas's team was about ready to give up hope once and for all, someone called out from across the room:

"The prosecution calls Robert Weinstein to testify."

Everyone gasped at once – even Harvey turned around fast enough that his neck must've hurt later on. His brother walked slowly past him on the way up to where witnesses sit while they answer questions.

Bob never looked over at Harvey once; he walked towards stand with set shoulders while being sworn in by court clerk who asked if he promised to tell nothing but the whole truth so help me God etcetera etcetera blah blah…

He just set his jaw even harder, and Lucas's lawyer walked over to where he was already standing. She didn't sound nervous when she spoke, but there was a funny feeling in the room that got stronger while people were waiting for Bob to answer.

"Tell us about your brother's behavior over the years," she said.

He sighed before speaking. "I've seen Harvey behave inappropriately toward women since we were kids. I've watched him take advantage of young actresses' dreams and use company money to keep them silent."

As Bob talked about specific times and places where those things had happened – giving names, dates, everything – you could've heard a pin drop in the courtroom. Harvey's face turned redder as he kept going; then he squeezed his fists so tight his knuckles went white.

Lucas's lawyer showed the evidence that Bob had collected: emails, bank statements, even more stuff than that. It all looked pretty bad for Harvey.

The judge leaned forward on her bench so far that it seemed like she might fall off; jurors scribbled madly onto their notepads; reporters who'd been covering this whole thing from day one exchanged wide-eyed looks with each other from across the room.

Bob continued his damning testimony, breaking Harvey's composure. He sprang to his feet and pointed a trembling finger at Bob.

"You untrustworthy bastard!" Harvey yelled with fury. "How could you do this to me? To think that I have done all these things for you, and this is how you repay me? You will regret it, Bob. No one in this town will ever hire you again!"

The courtroom was sent into pandemonium. The judge banged her gavel repeatedly, yelling for order. Cameras swung around to capture every moment of Harvey's outburst, broadcasting his threats live to millions.

"Control yourself or I'll hold you in contempt!" the judge threatened with a scowl.

His lawyers tried frantically to calm him down but he pushed them away angrily and went on shouting. "You're dead, Bob! You hear me? Dead!"

Security rushed over to restrain him as Bob looked on sadly but with determination etched onto his face. He turned back towards the court and spoke firmly: "This is exactly the kind of behavior I've witnessed for years. The threats, the intimidation... this is who Harvey really is."