Latest news with #Blumberg
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NYC prosecutor says Harvey Weinstein ‘underestimated' his sex assault accusers
NEW YORK — At the height of his power in Hollywood, Harvey Weinstein wouldn't take no for answer, but he ultimately 'underestimated the power and strength' of the three women accusing him of sexual assault, a prosecutor in his Manhattan retrial told jurors Wednesday. 'They were all raped by Harvey Weinstein. Over the last eight weeks you heard first-hand about how the defendant raped and sexually abused Miriam Haley, Kaja Sokola and Jessica Mann,' Assistant D.A. Nicole Blumberg said to cap off her marathon closing argument after recapping in small detail each of the three accusers' testimony. 'He held the golden ticket, the chance to make it or not. He made each of these women feel small, no match for the power broker of Hollywood,' she said. 'Each victim stayed quiet and compliant for years. They stayed quiet and complaint for years until they knew they were not alone. … In the end, despite the fact that the defendant thought he picked the perfect victims, he underestimated them. He underestimated their power and their strength.' Haley, a former TV producer who met Weinstein in 2004, got an off-the-books job working for the 'Project Runway' TV show in New York in 2006. She accused Weinstein of pulling out a tampon and forcibly performing oral sex on her in July 2006, and testified about a second, unwanted sexual encounter at the Tribeca Grand Hotel two weeks later. Sokola testified that Weinstein attacked her when she was a 16-year-old model, rubbing her vagina under her pants and underwear in 2002, and in 2006, he forcibly performed oral sex on her at the Tribeca Grand Hotel while her sister waited at a restaurant table downstairs. Sokola, an aspiring actress, said she brought her sister to meet Weinstein that day because she wanted to show her family her Hollywood dreams should be taken seriously. Mann, an evangelical raised on a farm in Washington state who also hoped to become an actress, alleges Weinstein raped her in Midtown's DoubleTree Hotel in March 2013, but maintained a complicated 'relationship' that included some consensual sexual encounters for years. Mann and Haley testified at Weinstein's 2020 trial, which ended in his guilty verdict and a 23-year prison term before the state's highest court overturned the conviction last year. In a closing argument that stretched across Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday, Blumberg said all three women feared Weinstein's influence on their lives and careers if they came forward. 'They buried their trauma as if nothing happened to them. They buried it from themselves. They buried it from the defendant. They buried it from most of the rest of the world,' she said. But they ultimately went public after Weinstein's history as a serial sex abuser came out in the news in October 2017, Blumberg said. 'It took strength, it took courage, but they were able to do it. … He couldn't silence them forever.' Blumberg also took a swipe at defense lawyer Arthur Aidala's bombastic closing argument Tuesday, who made references to the movies 'My Cousin Vinny' and 'Pulp Fiction,' gave details about his own sex life, compared reasonable doubt to a piece of a broken wine glass in his grandmother's pot of sauce, and mimicked Haley crying during cross examination. In one dramatic moment, Aidala stomped into the witness box and gave an impression of witness Elizabeth Entin, one of two friends who testified that Haley told them about the alleged 2006 sexual assault shortly after it happened. Blumberg derided Aidala's closing as an 'Academy Award-winning performance.' 'He's the only one who actually acted in this courtroom,' she said. 'He mocked every witness, but maybe Elizabeth Entin the most. Because her testimony is the most damaging.' ________
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NYC prosecutor says Harvey Weinstein ‘underestimated' his sex assault accusers
At the height of his power in Hollywood, Harvey Weinstein wouldn't take no for answer, but he ultimately 'underestimated the power and strength' of the three women accusing him of sexual assault, a prosecutor in his Manhattan retrial told jurors Wednesday. 'They were all raped by Harvey Weinstein. Over the last eight weeks you heard first-hand about how the defendant raped and sexually abused Miriam Haley, Kaja Sokola and Jessica Mann,' Assistant D.A. Nicole Blumberg said to cap off her marathon closing argument after recapping in small detail each of the three accusers' testimony. 'He held the golden ticket, the chance to make it or not. He made each of these women feel small, no match for the power broker of Hollywood,' she said. 'Each victim stayed quiet and compliant for years. They stayed quiet and complaint for years until they knew they were not alone. … In the end, despite the fact that the defendant thought he picked the perfect victims, he underestimated them. He underestimated their power and their strength.' Haley, a former TV producer who met Weinstein in 2004, got an off-the-books job working for the 'Project Runway' TV show in New York in 2006. She accused Weinstein of pulling out a tampon and forcibly performing oral sex on her in July 2006, and testified about a second, unwanted sexual encounter at the Tribeca Grand Hotel two weeks later. Sokola testified that Weinstein attacked her when she was a 16-year-old model, rubbing her vagina under her pants and underwear in 2002, and in 2006, he forcibly performed oral sex on her at the Tribeca Grand Hotel while her sister waited at a restaurant table downstairs. Sokola, an aspiring actress, said she brought her sister to meet Weinstein that day because she wanted to show her family her Hollywood dreams should be taken seriously. Mann, an evangelical raised on a farm in Washington state who also hoped to become an actress, alleges Weinstein raped her in Midtown's DoubleTree Hotel in March 2013, but maintained a complicated 'relationship' that included some consensual sexual encounters for years. Mann and Haley testified at Weinstein's 2020 trial, which ended in his guilty verdict and a 23-year prison term before the state's highest court overturned the conviction last year. In a closing argument that stretched across Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday, Blumberg said all three women feared Weinstein's influence on their lives and careers if they came forward. 'They buried their trauma as if nothing happened to them. They buried it from themselves. They buried it from the defendant. They buried it from most of the rest of the world,' she said. But they ultimately went public after Weinstein's history as a serial sex abuser came out in the news in October 2017, Blumberg said. 'It took strength, it took courage, but they were able to do it. … He couldn't silence them forever.' Blumberg also took a swipe at defense lawyer Arthur Aidala's bombastic closing argument Tuesday, who made references to the movies 'My Cousin Vinny' and 'Pulp Fiction,' gave details about his own sex life, compared reasonable doubt to a piece of a broken wine glass in his grandmother's pot of sauce, and mimicked Haley crying during cross examination. In one dramatic moment, Aidala stomped into the witness box and gave an impression of witness Elizabeth Entin, one of two friends who testified that Haley told them about the alleged 2006 sexual assault shortly after it happened. Blumberg derided Aidala's closing as an 'Academy Award-winning performance.' 'He's the only one who actually acted in this courtroom,' she said. 'He mocked every witness, but maybe Elizabeth Entin the most. Because her testimony is the most damaging.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
NYC prosecutor says Harvey Weinstein ‘underestimated' his sex assault accusers
At the height of his power in Hollywood, Harvey Weinstein wouldn't take no for answer, but he ultimately 'underestimated the power and strength' of the three women accusing him of sexual assault, a prosecutor in his Manhattan retrial told jurors Wednesday. 'They were all raped by Harvey Weinstein. Over the last eight weeks you heard first-hand about how the defendant raped and sexually abused Miriam Haley, Kaja Sokola and Jessica Mann,' Assistant D.A. Nicole Blumberg said to cap off her marathon closing argument after recapping in small detail each of the three accusers' testimony. 'He held the golden ticket, the chance to make it or not. He made each of these women feel small, no match for the power broker of Hollywood,' she said. 'Each victim stayed quiet and compliant for years. They stayed quiet and complaint for years until they knew they were not alone. … In the end, despite the fact that the defendant thought he picked the perfect victims, he underestimated them. He underestimated their power and their strength.' Haley, a former TV producer who met Weinstein in 2004, got an off-the-books job working for the 'Project Runway' TV show in New York in 2006. She accused Weinstein of pulling out a tampon and forcibly performing oral sex on her in July 2006, and testified about a second, unwanted sexual encounter at the Tribeca Grand Hotel two weeks later. Sokola testified that Weinstein attacked her when she was a 16-year-old model, rubbing her vagina under her pants and underwear in 2002, and in 2006, he forcibly performed oral sex on her at the Tribeca Grand Hotel while her sister waited at a restaurant table downstairs. Sokola, an aspiring actress, said she brought her sister to meet Weinstein that day because she wanted to show her family her Hollywood dreams should be taken seriously. Mann, an evangelical raised on a farm in Washington state who also hoped to become an actress, alleges Weinstein raped her in Midtown's DoubleTree Hotel in March 2013, but maintained a complicated 'relationship' that included some consensual sexual encounters for years. Mann and Haley testified at Weinstein's 2020 trial, which ended in his guilty verdict and a 23-year prison term before the state's highest court overturned the conviction last year. In a closing argument that stretched across Tuesday afternoon and all day Wednesday, Blumberg said all three women feared Weinstein's influence on their lives and careers if they came forward. 'They buried their trauma as if nothing happened to them. They buried it from themselves. They buried it from the defendant. They buried it from most of the rest of the world,' she said. But they ultimately went public after Weinstein's history as a serial sex abuser came out in the news in October 2017, Blumberg said. 'It took strength, it took courage, but they were able to do it. … He couldn't silence them forever.' Blumberg also took a swipe at defense lawyer Arthur Aidala's bombastic closing argument Tuesday, who made references to the movies 'My Cousin Vinny' and 'Pulp Fiction,' gave details about his own sex life, compared reasonable doubt to a piece of a broken wine glass in his grandmother's pot of sauce, and mimicked Haley crying during cross examination. In one dramatic moment, Aidala stomped into the witness box and gave an impression of witness Elizabeth Entin, one of two friends who testified that Haley told them about the alleged 2006 sexual assault shortly after it happened. Blumberg derided Aidala's closing as an 'Academy Award-winning performance.' 'He's the only one who actually acted in this courtroom,' she said. 'He mocked every witness, but maybe Elizabeth Entin the most. Because her testimony is the most damaging.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Harvey Weinstein's accusers 'all said no,' prosecutor tells jury as rape retrial ends
By Jack Queen NEW YORK (Reuters) -A prosecutor on Wednesday told jurors in Harvey Weinstein's Manhattan retrial that the evidence clearly showed the former movie mogul raped three women, pushing back on a defense lawyer's efforts to paint the accusers as liars. Prosecutor Nicole Blumberg picked up where she left off during closing arguments the previous day, seeking to show that Weinstein forced himself on the women despite their pleading with him to stop. The Academy Award-winning producer and Miramax studio co-founder is accused of raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013 and assaulting the two other women in 2006 and 2002. Weinstein, who has denied ever having non-consensual sex or assaulting anyone, has pleaded not guilty. The trial began in April. "Members of the jury, he raped three women. They all said, 'no,'" Blumberg said. Weinstein, 73, is on trial for a second time after a New York state appeals court threw out his conviction in April 2024. Experiencing a litany of health problems, Weinstein was present in court on Wednesday in a wheelchair, wearing a dark suit and tie. Before Blumberg's pitch to jurors Wednesday, defense lawyer Arthur Aidala twice moved for a mistrial based on the prosecutor's arguments the previous day, but the motions were swiftly denied by state Supreme Court Justice Curtis Farber. The 12 jurors are due to begin deliberations after closing arguments are completed and Farber instructs them on the law. Blumberg on Tuesday called Weinstein a serial predator who promised career advancement in Hollywood to women, only to then coax them into private settings where he attacked them. She urged jurors Wednesday to disregard the defense's claim the Weinstein was on trial because he was famous and that prosecutors were trying to criminalize consensual sex. "We heard a lot about 'policing the bedroom' yesterday," Blumberg said, referring to Aidala's closing argument on Tuesday. "We don't want to police bedrooms either - unless you're forcibly raping someone inside them." Aidala on Tuesday accused the three alleged victims of lying on the witness stand out of spite after consensual sexual encounters with Weinstein failed to deliver them Hollywood stardom. "They are lying about what happened. Not about everything, but about a small slice - just enough to turn their regret, their buyers' remorse, into criminality," Aidala said of the accusers. The lawyer hoisted a dozen poster-sized placards showing emails from the accusers where they seek Weinstein's company after the alleged attacks, saying they showed the women were lying. Weinstein faces a maximum sentence of up to 29 years in prison if convicted on all charges. He already will likely spend the rest of his life in prison due to a 16-year prison sentence given to him after being found guilty in December 2022 of rape in California. He was convicted of rape by a jury in the previous trial in Manhattan in February 2020, but the New York Court of Appeals threw out the conviction and ordered a new trial, citing errors by the trial judge. Weinstein had been serving a 23-year sentence in a prison in upstate Rome, New York, when the conviction was overturned. That conviction was a milestone for the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct by powerful men. More than 100 women, including famous actresses, have accused Weinstein of misconduct. Weinstein has been held at New York City's Rikers Island jail since his conviction was overturned. He has experienced several health scares while being held at Rikers, and in September was rushed to a hospital for emergency heart surgery.
Reuters
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Prosecutors wrap up closing arguments in Harvey Weinstein sexual assault retrial
NEW YORK, June 3 (Reuters) - Prosecutors made their final pitch to jurors on Wednesday in the rape and sexual assault retrial of Harvey Weinstein, opens new tab, a day after the former movie mogul's lawyer said during his closing argument, opens new tab that the three alleged victims lied on the witness stand. Picking up where she left off during closing arguments on Tuesday, prosecutor Nicole Blumberg sought to weave together for the jury the accounts of the three women who testified that Weinstein had attacked them. "Members of the jury, he raped three women. They all said, 'no,'" Blumberg said. Weinstein, 73, is on trial for a second time after a New York state appeals court threw out his conviction in April 2024. Experiencing a litany of health problems, Weinstein was present in court on Wednesday in a wheelchair, wearing a dark suit and tie. He is accused of raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013 and assaulting the two other women in 2006 and 2002. The trial began in April. A lawyer for Weinstein on Wednesday twice moved for a mistrial based on comments by Blumberg during her arguments, but the motions were swiftly denied by state Supreme Court Justice Curtis Farber. Blumberg on Tuesday called Weinstein a serial predator who promised career advancement in Hollywood to women, only to then coax them into private settings where he attacked them. Weinstein, who has denied ever having non-consensual sex or assaulting anyone, has pleaded not guilty. "The defendant used his power and influence to create many, many award-winning movies," Blumberg said. "But he also used that same power, that same influence, to isolate women, trap women in places where he'd be alone with them and abuse them." Defense attorney Arthur Aidala on Tuesday accused the three alleged victims of lying on the witness stand out of spite after consensual sexual encounters with the Academy Award-winning producer failed to deliver them Hollywood stardom. "They are lying about what happened. Not about everything, but about a small slice - just enough to turn their regret, their buyers' remorse, into criminality," Aidala said of the accusers during his closing argument. Weinstein faces a maximum sentence of up to 29 years in prison if convicted on all changes. He already will likely spend the rest of his life in prison due to a 16-year prison sentence given to him after being found guilty in December 2022 of rape in California. He was convicted of rape by a jury in the previous trial in Manhattan in February 2020, but the New York Court of Appeals threw out the conviction and ordered a new trial, citing errors by the trial judge. Weinstein had been serving a 23-year sentence in a prison in upstate Rome, New York, when the conviction was overturned. That conviction was a milestone for the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct by powerful men. More than 100 women, including famous actresses, have accused Weinstein of misconduct. Weinstein has been held at New York City's Rikers Island jail since his conviction was overturned. He has experienced several health scares while being held at Rikers, and in September was rushed to a hospital for emergency heart surgery.
