Jennifer Siebel Newsom, a documentary director, and actor who is married to California Governor Gavin Newsom will testify at Harvey Weinstein's rape and sexual assault trial, which began on Monday, according to her attorney.

"Like many other women, my client was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein during a sham business meeting," Elizabeth Fegan, Newsom's attorney, said in a statement. "She plans to testify at his trial to seek justice for survivors and as part of her life's mission to improve the lives of women."

Weinstein, a 70-year-old former movie mogul serving a 23-year prison sentence for a New York conviction, has pleaded not guilty to 11 counts of rape and sexual assault against Newsom and four other women. All of them will testify as Jane Doe during the eight-week trial, which began Monday with jury selection in a Los Angeles court.

The Associated Press does not often identify individuals who allege sexual abuse, but Newsom agreed to be identified through her attorney.

The Los Angeles Times was the first to report on her involvement.

Between 2002 and 2011, Newsom, aged 48, had modest roles in scores of films and television programs. Recent documentaries she has directed include "The Great American Lie" in 2020 and "Fair Play" this year. Both examine gender relations in society.

She penned a 2017 post for the Huffington Post describing her experience with Weinstein after the New York Times and New Yorker articles made him a magnet for the #MeToo movement, but she provided little details.

Weinstein, who is being held in a Los Angeles County jail, was wheeled into court through a side entrance on Monday in a wheelchair and sat next to one of his defense attorneys at the defense table. During the trial, he was permitted to change out of his jail garb and into a blue suit.

As the first panel of 67 prospective jurors entered the courtroom, he rose with the rest of the audience but sat down approximately halfway through the procedure. He waved from his seat as his attorneys introduced them to him.

The jurors were given a lengthy questionnaire designed to identify those who must be eliminated. Both the questions and answers on the forms are confidential, but previous hearings on its content have revealed that it contains questions about how much media coverage of Weinstein they have seen and whether it has influenced their opinions, despite the judge's rejection of questions about specific stories and media outlets.

Parts of Weinstein's conviction for rape and sexual assault will be admissible as evidence, as the state's highest court has decided to hear his appeal.

The questionnaire also includes a question concerning a California law that states a sexual assault victim's testimony alone may be sufficient to convict if a jury believes it.

The jurors were also provided with a lengthy list of witnesses in the upcoming trial, including the accusers' witnesses, to evaluate if there is any relationship between them. The initial list of witnesses in the case contained more than 270 names, but fewer than half of the anticipated number. The majority of potential witnesses have not been made public.

A judge informed Barbara Schneeweiss, a producer for "Project Runway" and other television programs, that she was on call to appear in court at any time on Monday morning.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, two further panels of up to 75 jurors will be brought in. Individual jurors will likely not be questioned until next week, and opening statements may not begin for two weeks.

The trial occurs five years after the #MeToo movement was sparked by women's stories about Weinstein.

Weinstein is accused of four instances of rape and seven additional charges of sexual assault.

As with Newsom, the majority of the instances in Weinstein's indictment occurred under the pretext of business meetings at luxury hotels in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, which Weinstein used as his California headquarters and where he could be seen during awards season and the year. Four of these occurrences occurred during Oscars week in 2013, when Weinstein released "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Django Unchained" won Academy Awards.