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Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jury deliberations begin in Harvey Weinstein's NYC sexual assault retrial
Jurors in Harvey Weinstein's sexual assault retrial in Manhattan finished their first day of deliberations Thursday, as they mull whether the disgraced Hollywood heavyweight leveraged his power to sexually assault three women. Weinstein, 73, is on trial in Manhattan Supreme Court for criminal sex act and rape, after his landmark 2020 #MeToo conviction was overturned last year. Jurors heard the stories of three accusers over the course of the eight-week trial — former TV production assistant Miriam Haley, Polish model and aspiring actress Kaja Sokola, and one-time actress Jessica Mann. Mann and Haley testified at Weinstein's 2020 trial, which ended in a 23-year prison sentence before the state's highest court ruled that Judge James Burke should have never allowed the testimony of three women who accused the movie mogul of sexual assaults that weren't included in the charges against him. Defense lawyer Arthur Aidala and Assistant D.A. Nicole Blumberg gave their closing arguments on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the case officially went to the jury at about 11:30 a.m. Thursday. The jurors ended the day with a trio of notes to the court, requesting to again hear testimony from Sokola and Mann describing their alleged attacks at the TriBeca Grand Hotel and DoubleTree Hotel. They also asked to see Mann's medical records from her hospital and doctor's visits after news accounts came out detailing Weinstein's history as a serial sex harasser in October 2017. Mann testified that she checked herself into an emergency room after having a panic attack and suicidal thoughts after hearing the news. The records also show that she told her doctors Weinstein had raped her. Haley, a former TV producer who met Weinstein in 2004 accused him 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. Mann, also an aspiring actress, alleged Weinstein raped her in Midtown's DoubleTree Hotel in March 2013, but maintained a complicated 'relationship' that included some consensual sexual encounters for years. She also testified about an encounter at the Peninsula Hotel in 2013 where she says Weinstein raped her after she told him she was getting serious with her new actor boyfriend. Jury deliberations resume Friday.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- 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
04-06-2025
- 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
04-06-2025
- 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
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Harvey Weinstein defense lawyer mocks accusers, calls them 'grifters' in closing arguments
Harvey Weinstein's defense lawyer slammed the disgraced mogul's sex assault accusers as 'grifters,' mimicked one breaking down in tears, climbed into the witness box to do an impression of another and used his personal sex life as a frame of reference during animated closing arguments Tuesday, Arthur Aidala told the Manhattan jury that it was, in fact, the notorious movie producer who was was victimized and manipulated by the three women accusing him of sexual assault. 'They're using their youth, their beauty, their charm, their charisma to get stuff from him,' Aidala, Weinstein's lead defense attorney, said. 'I know it's gonna sound crazy, but he's the one who's being abused. He's the one who's getting used.' At one point, Aidala even went into a spiel about his sex life in his own marriage — 'I'm gonna get in so much trouble. Come on, come on. I can't believe I'm talking about this in court…. I give her a hug, and I give her a kiss, and she may not be enthusiastic, but she says, 'OK, fine.'' Aidala was trying to portray the relationships between Weinstein and his three accusers — former TV production assistant Miriam Haley, model Kaja Sokola and one-time actress Jessica Mann — as courtship rituals that led to 'transactional,' consensual sexual encounters. 'Everybody knew what was going on,' he said. 'Everybody was playing the courting game.' Haley, who has also gone by the name Mimi Haleyi, accuses Weinstein of 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 when she was a 16-year-old model, Weinstein rubbed her vagina under her pants and underwear in 2002, and that in 2006, he forcibly performed oral sex on her at the Tribeca Grand Hotel, while her sister waited at a restaurant table downstairs. Mann said Weinstein raped her in Midtown's DoubleTree Hotel in March 2013, but maintained a complicated 'relationship' with the then-remarried movie mogul. 'They're all women with broken dreams. They're all women who wanted to cut the line,' Aidala said. 'You need to look at the length that this office went to to get those women here.' Prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office flew across the country and the world to prep the witnesses for their testimony, even though two of them, Haley and Mann, had testified against Weinstein five years ago. 'They needed to get the poster boy, the original sinner for the MeToo movement,' Aidala said. 'They tried to do it five years ago, and there was a redo, and they're trying to do it again.' Mann and Haley testified at Weinstein's 2020 Manhattan Supreme Court trial, which ended in a guilty verdict and a 23-year prison term. But last year the state's highest court overturned the jury's guilty verdict in that case, with the judicial panel 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.' Weinstein, 73, is being retried on allegations of first-degree criminal sexual act and third-degree rape. The new trial is widely thought as a litmus test for the staying power of the MeToo movement, which started shortly after news reports in October 2017 laid bare the open secret of Weinstein's serial sexual harassment. Aidala tore into each of the three accusers, likening the government's case to an anecdote about how his grandmother broke a wine glass while making sauce for the family, then threw the sauce away rather than risk serving glass for dinner. 'Are you worried about whether there's a piece of glass in the sauce about Jessica Mann,' he asked. 'Are you worried whether there's a piece of glass in the sauce about Mimi or Kaja?' He described Haley's high-flying life, meeting Hollywood power brokers and music superstars as the close friend and personal assistant of the late 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' producer Michael White, who had become ill and closed up his production business. 'She's trying to tell you that she's got this tough life, whatever. She's literally traveling the world,' Aidala scoffed. 'Harvey was the eligible bachelor to fill the world of Michael White, who was on his way out. He was single. He was on the market.' Aidala mocked Haley's breakdown on the stand during defense lawyer Jennifer Bonjean's cross-examination, saying that she cried because she got caught in a lie. He also stomped into the witness box in an impersonation of Haley's friend and ex-roommate Elizabeth Entin — who testified against the mogul in 2020 — drawing laughs from several jurors as he posed as Entin and declared, accusingly, 'Yes, Mr. Harvey Weinstein!' Aidala described Sokola as a 'troubled woman' whose 'lust for fame is just palpable' and who came forward to Rolling Stone magazine so she could be named Weinstein's youngest victim. 'That's what this is all about for her,' he said. 'This is about her being relevant. This is about her being known.' As for Mann, Aidala zeroed in on how she testified about seeing an erectile dysfunction needle in the trash after being raped. That injection takes between 5 to 20 minutes to kick in, though, Aidala noted. 'You know Jessica's lying,' he said. 'You can use your own judgment. When Jessica Mann says he was gone for not very long at all. Does 'Not very long at all' mean 15 to 20 minutes? It doesn't. It just doesn't.' Prosecutors will begin their closing argument later Monday afternoon.
