Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial begins with opening statements in New York – National
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A year after a New York appeals court threw out disgraced Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein’s rape conviction, the ex-media mogul will face a retrial in Manhattan.
Statements are scheduled to begin on Wednesday in proceedings that could last up to six weeks.
Two accusers who testified in Weinstein’s initial trial are expected to take the stand again. But this time, he faces an additional allegation made by an unnamed woman who was not involved in the 2020 case.
The first trial took place during the height of the #MeToo movement, which was born out of allegations made against the former movie tycoon by several female victims who had worked with him in various capacities.
The retrial, which will happen in the same courthouse as Weinstein’s first trial, will be put before a jury comprising seven women and five men, a different configuration from his previous trial, where seven men and five women found him guilty. A new judge is also presiding.
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The first time around, reporters lined the streets in a frenzy for a spot in the courthouse, as protesters planted themselves at its entrance. The commotion was widespread enough that Weinstein’s lawyers fought, albeit unsuccessfully, to have the trial moved away from Manhattan.
Harvey Weinstein arrives at the Manhattan courthouse on Jan. 6, 2020 in New York City.
Pablo Monsalve / Getty Images
This time, the chaos has subsided, due in part to an almost week-long jury selection process and last year’s decision by a New York appeals court to vacate his 2020 conviction and 23-year prison sentence because the judge allowed testimony regarding allegations Weinstein had not been charged with.
Weinstein, 73, is being retried on a criminal sex act charge for allegedly forcibly performing oral sex on a movie and TV production assistant, Miriam Haley, in 2006, and a third-degree rape charge for allegedly assaulting an aspiring actor, Jessica Mann, in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013.
He also faces criminal sex act charges for allegedly forcing oral sex on a different woman at a Manhattan hotel in 2006. She has not been named publicly.
Prosecutors say the victim came forward in the days leading up to Weinstein’s 2020 trial, but was not involved in the case. They opted to re-examine her allegations after his conviction was overturned.
Lindsay Goldbrum, a lawyer for the unnamed accuser, said Weinstein’s retrial marks a “pivotal moment in the fight for accountability in sex abuse cases” and a “signal to other survivors that the system is catching up — and that it’s worth speaking out even when the odds seem insurmountable.”
Weinstein has pleaded not guilty and denies ever raping or sexually assaulting anyone.
His acquittals on the two most serious charges at his 2020 trial — predatory sexual assault and first-degree rape — still stand, The Associated Press says.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office is prosecuting Weinstein’s retrial through its Special Victims Division, which specializes in cases like these.
Weinstein has employed several additional lawyers to his defence team — including Jennifer Bonjean, who was involved in appealing his 2022 rape conviction in Los Angeles. She also helped overturn Bill Cosby’s conviction and defended R. Kelly in his sex crimes case.
In a separate trial in December 2022, the former film studio executive was found guilty of rape by a Los Angeles jury and of two other sexual assault charges involving one of the four women whose accusations formed the case.
Over about a month, the jury heard from dozens of witnesses, including the four women who accused the former film producer of sexually assaulting them.
He was sentenced to 16 years in prison; at the time, his New York conviction still stood.
In June 2024, shortly after his New York trial was thrown out, Weinstein appealed his guilty conviction in Los Angeles; his lawyers are seeking a new trial.
The appeal filing claimed Weinstein did not receive a fair trial because evidence was excluded about the whereabouts of one of the defendants on the night of the alleged assault.
— With files from The Associated Press
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If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse or is involved in an abusive situation, please visit the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime for help. They are also reachable toll-free at 1-877-232-2610
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