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Globe and Mail
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Prosecutors wrap up closing arguments in Harvey Weinstein rape, sexual-assault retrial
Prosecutors made their final pitch to jurors on Wednesday in the rape and sexual assault retrial of Harvey Weinstein, a day after the former movie mogul's lawyer said during his closing argument 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.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Closing arguments begin in sexual misconduct trial of Harvey Weinstein
The third sexual misconduct trial of former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was rapidly heading toward a conclusion on Tuesday, as prosecutors and the defense began delivering closing arguments in Manhattan criminal court. 'If there is a doubt about their case, you gotta throw it out,' defense attorney Arthur Aidala said of three women who testified against Weinstein. 'These are the people they want you to believe – they're all women with broken dreams.' He asked them to give his client the benefit of the doubt on rape and sexual assault charges. Prosecutors were set to begin their closing arguments later on Tuesday. Six weeks after prosecutors began laying out their case against him (largely a re-airing of a 2020 criminal prosecution, with one additional accuser, that was later overturned on appeal), the matter will be deliberated again by jurors, without Weinstein testifying. He is charged with assaulting three women in Manhattan between 2006 and 2013 – Mimi Haley, Jessica Mann and Kaja Sokola – and has been appearing in court each day in a wheelchair from Manhattan's Bellevue hospital, where he is being treated for a number of ailments, including chronic myeloid leukemia. Manhattan's district attorney, Alvin Bragg, who is facing re-election this year, opted to retry Weinstein soon after his first conviction on third-degree rape and a criminal sexual charge was vacated because prosecutors were found to have prejudiced the jury by calling witnesses whose testimony was unrelated to the charges. The decision to bring a second prosecution in New York required the 73-year-old Weinstein to be travel from California, where he was serving a 16-year sentence for sexual assault. The second New York trial avoided the most serious sexual assault charges that he was cleared of in 2020 to avoid double jeopardy. At trial, prosecutors have sought to establish that Weinstein used his power in the film industry to sexually assault and 'exert enormous control' over the three women, each of whom were seeking to gain a footing in the business. In opening statements, assistant DA Shannon Lucey said Weinstein had offered his accusers film scripts and promises of fame, and he 'used those dream opportunities as weapons'. Prosecutors avoided introducing so-called prior bad acts testimony – but brought an additional sex crimes charge related to Sokola, who accused Weinstein of performing oral sex on her in a Manhattan hotel on one occasion in early 2006. Weinstein's defense team pushed back on that claim, offering jurors the testimony of Helga Samuelsen, a friend of Sokola's, who said Weinstein had visited Sokola months earlier in their shared apartment and spent about a half hour in a bedroom with her. Sokola earlier testified that the alleged encounter had not happened. As with each of three women, Weinstein's defense offered evidence that their friendly relationship with the defendant pre-existed and post-dated the alleged sexual assaults – and each had received compensation from a payout fund established after allegations were made against the movie mogul, triggering a public reckoning over gender power dynamics that came to be known as the #MeToo movement. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion Among the witnesses, Jessica Mann testified that she had what she considered a romantic relationship with Weinstein, who was then married. All three said they believed Weinstein could help them with their professional goals and maintained relationships with him, and, in some instances, he had helped them find work. Aidala told jurors that the three women had 'fooled around with him consensually', adding 'they were flirtatious, they were friendly, they wanted him, they needed him, he could change the trajectories of their lives'. But a clinical psychologist, testifying for the prosecution, said that for a variety of reasons, it is not unusual for sexual assault victims to remain on good terms with their assailants after an assault. In total, prosecutors introduced evidence from 24 witnesses during Weinstein's retrial. They included former assistants, friends of his accusers and workers at the hotels where the alleged assaults took place. Weinstein, who pleaded not guilty, elected not to testify in his defense – repeating the same decision he made in the earlier trials. Aidala said his client very much wanted to take the stand – and had been prepped to do so – before Weinstein decided against it as a matter of courtroom strategy. Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organizations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at
CBS News
a day ago
- General
- CBS News
Harvey Weinstein's sex crimes retrial continues with closing arguments
Harvey Weinstein's sex crimes retrial in New York City will likely be handed to the jury on Wednesday morning, Judge Curtis Farber said Tuesday, shortly before closing arguments began. Weinstein, 73, was granted a new trial after the state's highest court overturned his 2020 conviction, saying the original judge allowed prejudicial testimony from alleged victims whose accusations were not part of the charges against him. The defense rested its case Tuesday without Weinstein taking the stand. His attorney, Arthur Aidala, said his client carefully weighed whether to testify and ultimately decided not to. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. Defense goes first during closing arguments After settling some administrative matters, Farber ordered the jury brought in around 11 a.m. He said closing arguments would likely take until the end of the day. Aidala asked jurors to use their common sense, as he broke down testimony from each of the three female accusers and pointed out instances where he claims they lied. He argued there was never any evidence of sexual assault and that anything that happened between his client and the accusers was consensual. The charges against Harvey Weinstein Weinstein is charged with raping actress Jessica Mann and forcing oral sex on production assistant Miriam Haley and model Kaja Sokola. During the six-week retrial, jurors heard testimony from all three accusers. Each gave emotional and graphic accounts of what they say they endured. Mann, now a 39-year-old cosmetologist and hairstylist who at one time had a consensual relationship with Weinstein, was the final accuser to testify. She claims Weinstein raped her at a New York hotel in 2013. Haley, a 48-year-old former production assistant, was the first accuser to testify. She says Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her when she went to his apartment in July 2006. Sokola, 39, alleges Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her at a Manhattan hotel in 2006 when she was 19 years old. Jurors also heard from Sokola's former roommate. An ex-aide who worked for Weinstein's production company also testified.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Harvey Weinstein doesn't plan to testify at New York sex crimes retrial
Harvey Weinstein doesn't plan to testify at his New York sex crimes retrial in a move 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, his lawyer Arthur Aidala said Sunday night. It's unclear whether jury deliberations would begin 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 didn't testify at previous trials in New York and California and was convicted in both. He denies the allegations, and 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's charged in New York with raping Jessica Mann in 2013 and forcing oral sex on Miriam Haley and Kaja Sokola, separately, in 2006. Mann was an actor and hairstylist, Haley a production assistant and producer, and 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'd help them achieve their show-business dreams, but then maneuvered them into private settings and preyed on them. His attorneys have argued that anything that happened between him and his accusers was consensual. In the US, defendants in criminal cases aren't 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 defense table, sometimes shaking his head at accusers' testimony and often leaning over to one or another of his attorneys to convey his thoughts. One of the lawyers, Aidala, said outside court 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 defense 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 attorneys' questions, while another stenographer sat in the witness box and rendered Maia's answers, at times with emphasis. Maia and Mann were roommates and friends in 2013 but later fell out. According to Maia, Mann never mentioned in those days that Weinstein had hurt her in any way. Both Maia and another witness, Thomas Richards, met up with Mann and Weinstein shortly after Mann has said she was raped. Both witnesses testified that they saw nothing amiss. Richards, who was subpoenaed to appear and said he didn't want to be seen as a Weinstein supporter, recalled Mann and Weinstein having 'friendly conversation' at a meal he shared with them that day. 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 at how he might react. Weinstein's defense also brought in Helga Samuelsen, who also has friendly ties to the former producer. Samuelsen testified Thursday that Weinstein visited Sokola once and spent about a half hour in a bedroom with her in a New York apartment the women briefly shared in 2005; Sokola told jurors no such thing happened.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Harvey Weinstein doesn't plan to testify at sex crimes retrial
Harvey Weinstein appears in state court in Manhattan for his retrial on Friday, May 30, 2025 in New York. (Jefferson Siegel/The New York Times via AP, Pool) NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein doesn't plan to testify at his New York sex crimes retrial, his lawyer said Sunday. 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 Tuesday without testimony from Weinstein, Arthur Aidala said Sunday night. The court handles other cases on Mondays. It's unclear whether jury deliberations would begin Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday. It was a fraught decision for Weinstein, who didn't testify at previous trials in New York and California and was convicted in both. He denies the allegations, and Aidala has said that Weinstein was carefully weighing 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's charged in New York with raping Jessica Mann in 2013 and forcing oral sex on Miriam Haley and Kaja Sokola, separately, in 2006. Mann was an actor and hairstylist, Haley a production assistant and producer, and Sokola a model who aspired to an acting career. All three women testified for days at the retrial, giving emotional and graphic accounts of what they say they endured. They said Weinstein suggested he'd help them achieve their show-business dreams, but then maneuvered them into private settings and preyed on them. His attorneys have argued that anything that happened between him and his accusers was consensual. In the U.S., defendants in criminal cases aren't 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 defense table, sometimes shaking his head at accusers' testimony and often leaning over to one or another of his attorneys to convey his thoughts. Aidala said outside court 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 defense 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 attorneys' questions, while another stenographer sat in the witness box and rendered Maia's answers, at times with emphasis. Maia and Mann were roommates and friends in 2013 but later fell out. According to Maia, Mann never mentioned in those days that Weinstein had hurt her in any way. Both Maia and another witness, Thomas Richards, met up with Mann and Weinstein shortly after Mann has said she was raped. Both witnesses testified that they saw nothing amiss. Mann testified earlier this month that she never anyone at the time that Weinstein had sexually assaulted her because she didn't think she'd be believed, and she was scared about how he might react. Weinstein's defense also brought in former Sokola pal Helga Samuelsen, who has friendly ties to the former producer. Samuelsen testified Thursday that Weinstein visited Sokola once and spent about a half-hour in a bedroom with her in a New York apartment the women briefly shared in 2005; Sokola told jurors no such thing happened. The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted, but Sokola, Mann and Haley have given their permission to be identified. Jennifer Peltz, The Associated Press
