Harvey Weinstein still deciding whether he'll testify in NYC sex assault retrial
Harvey Weinstein is still on the fence about whether he'll take the stand in his own defense in his Manhattan sex assault retrial, his lawyer said Thursday.
As Weinstein's Manhattan Supreme Court trial inches to a close, the former Hollywood producer will have to make his decision before the defense rests its case in the coming days.
'It's usually, but not always, the most difficult defense decision to make,' defense lawyer Arthur Aidala said. 'We're gonna make a game time, more or less, decision.'
Aidala said the defense team spent the Memorial Day weekend with Weinstein, who's being held in Bellevue Hospital, to discuss whether he'll testify.
'He thinks that the evidence at this trial has been challenged very forcefully and many of [the accusers'] stories have been torn apart,' Aidala said. Still, he said, 'There is a part of him that is seriously contemplating whether in a he-said-she-said case, human beings feel obligated to hear the other side of the story. … There's no easy answer.'
The trial has featured testimony from three accusers — one-time actress Jessica Mann, former TV production assistant Miriam Haley, and Polish model and aspiring actress Kaja Sokola.
Mann and Haley testified at Weinstein's 2020 Manhattan Supreme Court trial, which ended in a guilty verdict and a 23-year prison term.
The state's highest court overturned the jury's guilty verdict in that case last year, ruling 4-3 that the trial court judge shouldn't have allowed testimony of 'uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes.'
On Thursday, the defense called Helga Samuelsen, who was Sokola's roommate in fall 2005.
Sokola testified that when she was a 16-year-old model, Weinstein rubbed her vagina under her pants and underwear in 2002, and two years later, he grabbed her breast in a limo. In 2006, she alleged, he forcibly performed oral sex on her in the Tribeca Grand hotel, while her sister waited at a restaurant table downstairs.
Samuelsen testified that Weinstein visited Sokola's apartment in 2005, and Sokola led her to a bedroom, where they stayed behind closed doors for about a half-hour.
Prosecutors tried to cast doubt on Samuelsen's credibility, pointing out that she sent a text to Sokola saying she felt 'forced' to sign an affidavit for the defense, and bringing up her connections and friendships in Weinstein's circle.
With News Wire Services
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
NBA's first openly gay player Jason Collins gets married to longtime partner
Former Nets player, and the first openly gay athlete in the NBA, Jason Collins married his longtime partner, Brunson Green, recently. The couple reportedly tied the knot over the Memorial Day weekend in a ceremony in Austin, Texas, after the two had been together for more than a decade. Collins and Green, a Hollywood producer best known for his work on the film 'The Help,' reportedly got engaged in 2023 during Pride Night at a Lakers game. Advertisement 4 Former Nets player, and the first openly gay athlete in the NBA, Jason Collins, married his longtime partner, Brunson Green. Octavia Spencer/Instagram Collins came out in a personal essay for Sports Illustrated in 2013, which made him the first openly gay athlete in a major American team sport. 'When I was younger, I dated women,' he wrote in the essay. 'I even got engaged. I thought I had to live a certain way. I thought I needed to marry a woman and raise kids with her. I kept telling myself the sky was red, but I always knew it was blue.' 4 Jason Collins is pictured during a 2014 game for the Nets. AP Advertisement He had started his NBA career in 2001 with the Nets, who were still in New Jersey at the time, where he spent parts of seven seasons with the organization before stints with the Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Hawks and Celtics. Collins returned to the Nets in 2014 for one final run in Brooklyn before retiring that same year. Collins started dating Green in 2014 and described how the two met in a Sports Illustrated interview in 2023, according to The Independent. Advertisement 4 Jason Collins participates in the New York City Pride Parade on June 30th, 2024 NBAE via Getty Images 'I was dating another guy at the time. I didn't see Brunson again until we ran into each other at a party three months later. By that point, I was single again,' he said back then. 'Brunson left for Europe the following day, and, while he was overseas, I asked everyone I knew in LA, 'Have you heard of this guy?'' The ceremony was attended by family and friends, including longtime teammate Richard Jefferson, according to Outsports. 4 Jason Collins and Brunson Green at Apple's 'Visible: Out on Television' screening at The West Hollywood EDITION. Getty Images Advertisement Actress Octavia Spencer also posted a picture on Instagram from the day, in which Viola Davis commented on the post. 'Aaaaahh!!!! Congratulations,' she wrote.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Egg prices have plummeted since Trump took office — after hitting all-time high in March
The price of eggs has dropped just over 61% since President Donald Trump took office in January, after spiking to an all-time high in March. The most recent data from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows white, large shell eggs are now $2.52 per dozen nationally. On Jan. 21, that same carton of eggs would have run an American about $6.49, according to data website Trading Economics. Trading Economics shows eggs were over $8 a dozen the first week of March. 'Shell egg demand posted a slight improvement headed into the Memorial Day weekend but remained well below average in the continuation of a trend that began during the sharp price increases in late winter,' the USDA Egg Markets Overview weekly publication said. Back in April, a study by Clarify Capital said over 30% of Americans had stopped buying eggs due to their exorbitant cost. Weaker demand and a lull in new cases of bird flu helped cool prices, analysts said at the time. 3 The price of eggs has dropped just over 61% since President Donald Trump took office after a spike in March. AP Photo/David Dermer 3 Data from the US Department of Agriculture shows white, large shell eggs are now $2.52 per dozen nationally, compared to the same carton of eggs costing about $6.49 in January of this year. AP That same month, Reuters reported that the US had increased imports of eggs from Turkey, Brazil and South Korea in an attempt to increase supplies amid an ongoing bird flu outbreak that has killed nearly 170 million chickens, turkeys and other birds since 2022. Since the outbreak began in 2022, bird flu has affected over 166 million birds, including 127 million egg layers. This equates to an average loss of 42.3 million egg layers per year, or about 11% of the five-year average annual layer inventory of 383 million hens since the outbreak began, according to Bernt Nelson, an economist with the American Farm Bureau Foundation. 3 According to analysts, a weaker demand and a lull in new cases of bird flu helped cool prices. AFP via Getty Images The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirms that the effects of the outbreak continue today. 'To date, USDA APHIS has confirmed 43 outbreaks in layer flocks in 10 states (AZ, CA, IA, IN, MO, NC, OH, PA, SD, and WA),' the Egg Markets Overview said.
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
Pup fatally struck by speeding e-bike – and grieving NYC owner can't get justice thanks to legal loophole: ‘Just heartbreaking'
A tiny pooch was fatally struck by an e-bike in a sidewalk hit-run on the Upper East Side on Memorial Day – but the dog's grieving owner says she can't get justice for the pup because of a loophole in state law. 6 Little Fennel was tragically struck and killed by an e-bike in a sidewalk hit-and-run in Manhattan over Memorial Day weekend. Local resident Sarah Grant's 18-month-old shih tzu-poodle mix Fennel – who Grant rescued in December – was out with a dog walker when she was struck on the sidewalk by an e-bike rider on East 96th Street near Third Avenue in Manhattan just before 6 p.m. that Monday, her owner said. Advertisement 'She was not very responsive,' Grant told The Post, recalling the moment her dog walker rushed Fennel back to her nearby apartment building. 'Her eyes rolled back into her head, and she was barely moving. It was just heartbreaking.' Fennel sustained a traumatic brain injury and severe skull fracture and was euthanized hours later. But when her owner attempted to file a police report with the NYPD, she was told she couldn't, as the incident wasn't a criminal matter — because dogs are only considered property under the law. Advertisement 6 The 18-month-old pop was struck by a speeding e-bike rider on the sidewalk on East 96th Street near Third Avenue. Google Maps 'I pushed back. If dogs are property, then this is a property crime,' Grant said. 'And they [still] said, 'No, you cannot submit a report.' ' Grant said. She said she was told only her dog walker — who was also injured in the incident — could file a report. 'This is a wake-up call for me,' Grant said. 'I've always had pets, and it's an oversight that there is no legal recourse. Advertisement 'Setting a car on fire is considered to be a worse felony than setting a dog on fire.' The legal loophole is already the subject of a state bill introduced in January by Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan). The bill seeks to swap the 'property' classification of such animals to 'sentient beings' and establish that they can be a victim of a crime. The bill has remained in committee since its introduction. A 'sentient being is one who perceives or responds to sensations of whatever kind—sight, hearing, touch, taste, or smell,' according to Merriam-Webster's dictionary. 6 State Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) is pushing to reclassify animals under the law and establish that they can be a victim of a crime. AP Advertisement The Mayor's Office of Animal Welfare told The Post it is looking into the matter in conjunction with other city agencies. 'We are heartbroken to hear about Fennel and are in touch with her family,' a rep for the office told The Post. 6 Upper East Side resident Sarah Grant says she just wants justice for her pup Fennel. In addition to championing Rosenthal's bill to reclassify animals as 'sentient beings' under the law, Grant is calling for more enforcement for pedestrians safety on Gotham's sidewalks, where any form of biking is illegal for riders over the age of 12. 'Whether that's for humans or pets, it needs to be a bigger priority,' Grant said of the issue. 'An e-bike at that speed is deadly. I think people need to have a license and prove they have an understanding of traffic law in order to drive them.' Janet Schroeder, director and co-founder of the NYC E-Vehicle Safety Alliance, which has called for the registration and licensing of e-bikes, told The Post that Fennel's passing is 'incredibly sad' and 'infuriating' — but not surprising. 'The fact that the e-biker fled is also expected,' she said. 'The rider flees the crash scene the majority of the time and therefore the rider can't be held accountable because they can't be identified.' 6 Fennel was out with a dog walker when he was killed. Advertisement Schroeder said Fennel's untimely death is yet another reason city legislators must pass the proposed Priscilla's Law, a 'common-sense solution' requiring license plates on e-vehicles 'so that egregious riding can be identified by enforcement cameras and riders held accountable to following the basic rules of the road which will change egregious riding behavior.' In 104 e-bike-related crashes that Schroeder's group recorded, only four riders remained at the scene, according to the coalition — and in only six cases were crashes logged by the NYPD. 'This is a public-health crisis, and there is blood on the hands of any legislator who continues to do nothing but talk,' Schroeder added. 6 The pooch was adopted as a rescue dog in December. Advertisement Fennel's tragic passing comes just weeks after the mauling of chihuahua pup Penny on the Upper West Side by a pair of pitbulls sparked public outcry over how the city and state handle animal-related crimes. As dogs are considered property under state law, police often don't get involved unless a human is attacked or a human owner participates in crimes against dogs — and justice for Penny has yet to be served as well, animal advocates say. '[From] East Harlem to Brooklyn, there are people who … have the same concern: Somebody has dogs who attack other dogs, and nobody does anything about it,' city Council Member Gale Brewer told The Post this month. 'The agencies try, but they operate in a silo. We need to have everyone working together.' Advertisement Grant said, 'I think if people knew and understood the ramifications of [the law], it would help galvanize action. 'I don't want any money out of this — I just want accountability, I want the laws to change,' she said. 'I don't want any other people to have to go through what I'm going through.'
