TV Writer Eric Weinberg on Trial for Sexual Assault of 7 Women in LA

Eric Weinberg, known for "Scrubs" and "Californication," faces 23 counts of sexual assault. His defense admits he was a "creep" but denies criminality.

'Scrubs' Producer Accused of Luring Women With Photography Ruse

Eric Weinberg, a 66-year-old television writer and producer, went on trial in Los Angeles Thursday on 23 counts of sexual assault against seven women, Courthouse News Service reports. Opening arguments laid out sharply opposing portraits of the defendant — a predator exploiting his Hollywood credentials, according to prosecutors, or a socially offensive man who never crossed into criminal conduct, according to his defense.

Weinberg worked on shows including "Scrubs" and "Californication." Prosecutors say he used that reputation as a tool, approaching young women in public, presenting himself as a successful TV writer and amateur photographer, and asking to 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."

A Pattern in the Photoshoots

Once inside his home, prosecutors say, Weinberg would induce the women into posing for nude or revealing photographs before initiating unwanted sexual contact. Anson showed the jury photographs depicting women being digitally penetrated by Weinberg without consent, as well as images showing oral sex.

"In reality, the women were never safe," Anson said. "This was never about a photo shoot. This was never about modeling. It was all for him."

The 23 counts span five charges: forcible oral copulation, sexual battery, attempted sexual penetration, sexual penetration with force, and forcible rape. Most counts require prosecutors to prove the acts were "accomplished against the victim's will by means of force, violence, duress, menace, or fear of immediate and unlawful bodily injury."

Defense: Offensive, Not Criminal

Defense attorney Philip Cohen acknowledged in his opening statement that his client was a "creep, by many people's articulation," but argued the prosecution cannot meet the legal threshold. The women, he said, were never in fear.

"You want to raise your son like that? No. But does that make it criminal?" Cohen asked the jury.

Cohen told jurors that Weinberg never understood the women to be uncomfortable or afraid. He cited an exchange in which Weinberg asked one woman whether she wanted intercourse; when she replied "Not really," he dropped the matter.

"What rapist listens to the command of the victim?" Cohen said.

First Accuser Takes the Stand

The first witness, identified only as Rachel K., testified Thursday afternoon alongside a court-provided support dog. She described a different account than the one Cohen outlined. Weinberg removed her clothes without permission, she said, and ignored her attempts to put them back on.

"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.'"

None of the seven accusers are using their last names in the proceedings.

Anson told the jury that Weinberg, after the encounters, sought reassurances from some of the women. "We're good right?" he allegedly asked one. "Because I have a family." To another, according to Anson, he said: "You're not going to go to the cops and say I raped you, right?"

Earlier Reports, No Charges

Two of the seven women contacted police shortly after their encounters with Weinberg. One, identified as Kayra, told investigators: "I'm like, it wasn't rape. But maybe it was." The LAPD interviewed Weinberg at the time; no charges were filed. A second woman, Avian, went to police three days after her alleged assault. Anson said her case was never fully investigated.

The remaining five women did not come forward until 2022. Anson said they were "wracked with shame, guilt and embarrassment," blaming themselves for placing themselves in what they later understood to be a dangerous situation.

Defense Cites Custody Battle as Motive

Cohen pointed to Weinberg's ex-wife, Hilary Bidwell, and a woman named Claire Wilson as the catalysts behind the renewed investigation. Bidwell, he said, was locked in a contentious custody dispute with Weinberg over their three children and wanted to "put Eric away." She allegedly hired a private investigator and a civil attorney to identify women who had experienced problems with her ex-husband.

Wilson, who is not among the trial's accusers but described a negative experience with Weinberg publicly, also played a role in surfacing the allegations, according to Cohen.

Following that effort, the LAPD reopened its investigation. Cohen said the women were reinterviewed and that their accounts shifted materially: "New memories come up. New people come forward. New recollections."

Separately, approximately 14 unnamed women have filed civil suits against Weinberg for sexual assault. The overlap between those plaintiffs and the seven women in the criminal case is unclear. "They're looking for a whole lot of money," Cohen told the jury.

Rachel K. is scheduled to return to the stand Friday morning. The trial is expected to run approximately six weeks and will include testimony from all seven accusers, as well as from Bidwell and Wilson.

Source: Courthouse News Service