Harvey Weinstein does not plan to testify at sex crimes retrial
That means jurors soon will get the case against the former movie studio boss who propelled the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct.
The trial will move on to closing arguments on Tuesday without testimony from Weinstein, Arthur Aidala said on Sunday night.
The court handles other cases on Mondays.
It is unclear whether jury deliberations would begin on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday.
It was a fraught decision for Weinstein, who has never answered questions in open court about any of the accusations women have made. He did not testify at previous trials in New York and California and was convicted in both.
He denies the allegations, and lawyer Mr Aidala has said that Weinstein was giving a lot of thought to whether to take the stand this time.
While his California appeal winds on, Weinstein won a new trial in his New York rape and sexual assault case when the state's highest court overturned his 2020 conviction.
He is charged in New York with raping Jessica Mann in 2013 and forcing oral sex on Miriam Haley and Kaja Sokola, separately, in 2006.
Ms Mann was an actor and hairstylist, Ms Haley a production assistant and producer, and Ms Sokola a model who aspired to an acting career.
All three women have testified for days at the retrial, giving emotional and graphic accounts of what they say they endured from a powerbroker who suggested he would help them achieve their show-business dreams, but then manoeuvred them into private settings and preyed on them.
His lawyers have argued that anything that happened between him and his accusers was consensual.
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In the US, defendants in criminal cases are not obligated to testify, and many decide not to, for various reasons.
Among them: the prospect of being questioned by prosecutors.
Weinstein has been watching the New York retrial intently from the defence table, sometimes shaking his head at accusers' testimony and often leaning over to one or another of his lawyers to convey his thoughts.
One of the lawyers, Mr Aidala, said outside court on Thursday that Weinstein thought a lot of holes had been poked in the accusers' accounts, but that he also was pondering whether jurors would feel they needed to hear from him.
The jury has heard from a few other defence witnesses — one of them via a transcript read by court employees.
That witness, Talita Maia, testified at the 2020 trial but was unavailable this time, so jurors instead got a reading Friday of her earlier testimony.
One court stenographer voiced the 2020 lawyers' questions, while another stenographer sat in the witness box and rendered Ms Maia's answers, at times with emphasis.
Ms Maia and Ms Mann were roommates and friends in 2013, but later fell out.
According to Ms Maia, Ms Mann never mentioned in those days that Weinstein had hurt her in any way.
Both Ms Maia and another witness, Thomas Richards, met up with Ms Mann and Weinstein shortly after Ms Mann has said she was raped.
Both witnesses testified that they saw nothing amiss.
Mr Richards, who was subpoenaed to appear and said he did not want to be seen as a Weinstein supporter, recalled Ms Mann and Weinstein having a 'friendly conversation' at a meal he shared with them that day.
Ms Mann testified earlier this month that she never told police or anyone else that Weinstein had sexually assaulted her because she didn't think she'd be believed, and she was scared of how he might react.
Weinstein's defence also brought in Ms Sokola's pal Helga Samuelsen, who also has friendly ties to the former producer.
Ms Samuelsen testified on Thursday that Weinstein visited Ms Sokola once and spent about a half- hour in a bedroom with her in a New York apartment the women briefly shared in 2005; Ms Sokola told jurors no such thing happened.
The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted, but Ms Sokola, Ms Mann and Ms Haley have given their permission to be identified.
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Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Irish Independent
Harvey Weinstein does not plan to testify at sex crimes retrial
That means jurors soon will get the case against the former movie studio boss who propelled the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct. The trial will move on to closing arguments on Tuesday without testimony from Weinstein, Arthur Aidala said on Sunday night. The court handles other cases on Mondays. It is unclear whether jury deliberations would begin on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday. It was a fraught decision for Weinstein, who has never answered questions in open court about any of the accusations women have made. He did not testify at previous trials in New York and California and was convicted in both. He denies the allegations, and lawyer Mr Aidala has said that Weinstein was giving a lot of thought to whether to take the stand this time. While his California appeal winds on, Weinstein won a new trial in his New York rape and sexual assault case when the state's highest court overturned his 2020 conviction. He is charged in New York with raping Jessica Mann in 2013 and forcing oral sex on Miriam Haley and Kaja Sokola, separately, in 2006. Ms Mann was an actor and hairstylist, Ms Haley a production assistant and producer, and Ms Sokola a model who aspired to an acting career. All three women have testified for days at the retrial, giving emotional and graphic accounts of what they say they endured from a powerbroker who suggested he would help them achieve their show-business dreams, but then manoeuvred them into private settings and preyed on them. His lawyers have argued that anything that happened between him and his accusers was consensual. ADVERTISEMENT In the US, defendants in criminal cases are not obligated to testify, and many decide not to, for various reasons. Among them: the prospect of being questioned by prosecutors. Weinstein has been watching the New York retrial intently from the defence table, sometimes shaking his head at accusers' testimony and often leaning over to one or another of his lawyers to convey his thoughts. One of the lawyers, Mr Aidala, said outside court on Thursday that Weinstein thought a lot of holes had been poked in the accusers' accounts, but that he also was pondering whether jurors would feel they needed to hear from him. The jury has heard from a few other defence witnesses — one of them via a transcript read by court employees. That witness, Talita Maia, testified at the 2020 trial but was unavailable this time, so jurors instead got a reading Friday of her earlier testimony. One court stenographer voiced the 2020 lawyers' questions, while another stenographer sat in the witness box and rendered Ms Maia's answers, at times with emphasis. Ms Maia and Ms Mann were roommates and friends in 2013, but later fell out. According to Ms Maia, Ms Mann never mentioned in those days that Weinstein had hurt her in any way. Both Ms Maia and another witness, Thomas Richards, met up with Ms Mann and Weinstein shortly after Ms Mann has said she was raped. Both witnesses testified that they saw nothing amiss. Mr Richards, who was subpoenaed to appear and said he did not want to be seen as a Weinstein supporter, recalled Ms Mann and Weinstein having a 'friendly conversation' at a meal he shared with them that day. Ms Mann testified earlier this month that she never told police or anyone else that Weinstein had sexually assaulted her because she didn't think she'd be believed, and she was scared of how he might react. Weinstein's defence also brought in Ms Sokola's pal Helga Samuelsen, who also has friendly ties to the former producer. Ms Samuelsen testified on Thursday that Weinstein visited Ms Sokola once and spent about a half- hour in a bedroom with her in a New York apartment the women briefly shared in 2005; Ms Sokola told jurors no such thing happened. The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted, but Ms Sokola, Ms Mann and Ms Haley have given their permission to be identified.
Irish Examiner
20-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Accuser gestures at Harvey Weinstein in courtroom confrontation
A key witness stared down Harvey Weinstein and pointed sharply at him as she left court in tears, marking one of the most heated moments of the former studio boss' sex crimes retrial. The confrontational moment came after Jessica Mann described Weinstein grabbing, dragging, forcefully undressing and raping her in a Beverly Hills, California, hotel room around the beginning of 2014, after she told him she was dating someone else. 'You owe me one more time,' Weinstein bellowed, according to Ms Mann, who wiped her eyes and took heaving breaths as she testified. Weinstein — who denies ever raping or sexually assaulting anyone — briefly shook his head as he watched from the defence table. After Ms Mann finished her narrative, she continued crying and did not answer when a prosecutor asked whether she needed a break. Judge Curtis Farber called for one. Jessica Mann arrives to testify in Harvey Weinstein's trial (Stefan Jeremiah/AP) When Ms Mann passed the defence table on her way out, she turned toward the seated Weinstein, aimed a finger at her eyes and then at him. It was not clear how many jurors saw the gesture, and Ms Mann did not respond to a question outside court about what she meant to convey. After they left, Weinstein lawyer Arthur Aidala made the latest of more than a half-dozen requests for a mistrial. He cited Ms Mann's gesticulation, questioned her displays of emotion and complained that she should not have been asked about the alleged Los Angeles rape, as Weinstein is not actually charged with it. The Oscar-winning producer is charged with raping Ms Mann on another occasion, in 2013 in New York, and forcing oral sex on two other women separately in 2006. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Mr Farber denied the mistrial request. He ruled before the trial that Ms Mann and the other two women could put the charges in the context of their other interactions with Weinstein, including other times when he allegedly made unwanted advances. As for Ms Mann's gesture, 'I can't control what people do in the courtroom' — nor what jurors may make of it, Mr Farber said, suggesting that Ms Mann be told not to make any more such moves. The judge noted that he had also seen Weinstein react visibly and mutter at times during the trial. Harvey Weinstein (Curtis Means/Pool Photo via AP) Ms Mann returned to the witness stand without looking at Weinstein, who watched her stone-faced. She resumed testifying through an edgy morning. 'This is my response,' she interjected at one point when Mr Aidala raised a legal objection to her answer to a prosecutor's question. Mr Aidala has not yet has his turn to question Ms Mann, 39, about her fraught and complex history with Weinstein, 73. During an opening statement last month, the attorney portrayed her as an aspiring actor who had only willing sexual encounters with a Hollywood bigwig she thought could help her. A cosmetologist and hairstylist, she met Weinstein socially in Los Angeles more than a decade ago, when she was trying to get acting work. Ms Mann said she had a consensual, on-and-off relationship with the then-married Weinstein, but that he was volatile and violated her if she refused him. Weinstein went from movie mogul to #MeToo pariah in 2017, after allegations emerged that he had sexually harassed and sexually abused women for years. He was later convicted of various sex crimes in both New York and California, but his New York conviction was later overturned, leading to the retrial. The proceedings have been graphic, exhaustively detailed and tense at times as his accusers underwent days of questioning. One of them, Miriam Haley, cursed at Weinstein from the witness stand. Another, Kaja Sokola, was dismayed by questions about her private journal, which Weinstein's lawyers had gotten without her knowledge.
Irish Times
19-05-2025
- Irish Times
After Gerard Depardieu and Gisèle Pelicot, is France ready to address sexual violence?
The backlash was immediate. Within seconds of her coronation as Miss France in late 2023, Eve Gilles was being hit by a tsunami of online hate. The death threats would come later. The online mob were appalled by the 20-year-old's slight physique and, especially, her cropped pixie haircut. For the first time in more than a century, the Miss France tiara had been placed upon the head of a contestant with short hair. 'Next year they'll pick a bald man,' moaned an outraged armchair warrior. French model Eve Gilles, who was pilloried for her short hair Gilles, a 20-year-old student, became an unlikely focal point for the country's raging culture wars. On one side, her win was sneeringly cast as a 'victory for diversity'; on the other she was held up as a rather unlikely icon of the #MeToo era, with her supporters suggesting that her win signalled that France was finally ready to embrace a movement that had hitherto struggled to gain momentum. The furore around Gilles was proof, if any were needed, that France still has work to do on gender equality. Relatively few high-profile cases of sexual misconduct have been prosecuted since the #MeToo movement arrived in France in 2017, despite the growing number of victims who have come forward with testimony of abuse. Activists are hoping that could finally be about to change, following the conviction last week of the formerly revered actor, Gérard Depardieu , for sexually assaulting two women. His trial was viewed as an important test of how French society and the film industry were addressing allegations of sexual violence. Lawyers for his victims believe that a wider reckoning is under way. READ MORE 'I'm optimistic by nature,' says Carine Durrieu Diebolt, who represented the 54-year-old set dresser who was targeted by Depardieu. 'This was a historic verdict. It shows that mentalities are slowly changing, that artists are no longer treated with impunity.' [ Gisèle Pelicot 'led this fight' for her grandchildren, as ex-husband sentenced to 20 years in mass rape trial Opens in new window ] But that optimism is not universally shared. Yéléna Mandengué, a lawyer and member of the #NousToutes feminist organisation, points out that Depardieu was not in court for the verdict as he's currently shooting another film in Portugal. 'In places like the US, an actor accused of such serious crimes, never mind one who has actually been convicted, would be cancelled. The rich and famous are treated differently here. We call it the French exception. It comes down to our elitist perception of the arts. We don't want our reputation to be tarnished internationally by these allegations, so perpetrators are protected' Gisèle Pelicot, whose husband was convicted of raping her while she was drugged and unconscious, and inviting dozens of men to the family home to abuse her. Photograph: Clement Mahoudeau/AFP via Getty Images The Depardieu sentencing came just months after France was horrified and traumatised by the trial of Dominique Pelicot, the retired electrician who was convicted of raping his former wife while she was drugged and unconscious, and inviting dozens of men to the family home to abuse her. Gisèle Pelicot 's ordeal highlighted shortcomings in French law, most notably the lack of explicit consent in the legal definition of rape, prompting calls for urgent reform. Last month, the lower house of parliament responded by passing legislation expanding the definition of rape to include non-consensual sex. The bill has yet to be debated by the senate, before being returned to the lower house for a final vote. 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The former education minister denied having covered up the abuse when he appeared before a parliamentary inquiry on Wednesday, claiming that he had only been made aware of the allegations through the media. Bayrou's wife had worked at Notre-Dame de Bétharram and several of his children were educated there. One of his daughters now says she was beaten by a priest with links to the school. A survey published just last week found that 70 per cent of women said they had personally experienced sexism in the workplace A separate parliamentary report, published in April after a five-month inquiry, also makes for grim reading. It found that abuse was 'systemic, endemic and persistent' across the French entertainment industry, adding that attitudes were 'barely evolving' with women and children still being 'routinely preyed on'. Sandrine Rousseau, the Green Party MP who led the commission, says the Depardieu conviction is nevertheless an important milestone that illustrates that 'nobody is above the law'. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many women might disagree. A survey published just last week found that 70 per cent of women said they had personally experienced sexism in the workplace, with nearly a third of respondents saying they'd subsequently changed how they dressed as an avoidance strategy, or limited time spent alone with certain colleagues. Another woman who decided to alter how she dressed, or at least how she presented herself to her hundreds of millions of social media followers, took the stand in a Paris courtroom on Tuesday. Hours before Kim Kardashian gave emotional testimony about being held at gunpoint by a gang who stole millions of euro worth of her belongings, a judge asked her stylist if the reality TV star had put herself in danger by publishing images of herself online. Absolutely not, said Simone Harouche. 'Just because a woman wears jewellery, that doesn't make her a target. That's like saying that because a woman wears a short skirt, she deserves to be raped.' As for Miss France 2024, she says she still dreams of one day representing her country at Miss Universe despite the death threats, and the fact that she's once again being pilloried by online haters, this time for dating an older man.
