Latest news with #Miramax
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Medical expert talks about erectile dysfunction shot at Harvey Weinstein's NYC sex assault retrial
NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein's lawyers tried to deflate one of the rape claims against him Wednesday with a medical expert's testimony on how long it takes for an erectile dysfunction injection to work. The expert, Virginia-based doctor and pharmacist Matthew Lee, told jurors that the medication, sold under the name Caverject, must be mixed by hand and injected directly into the penis, and it takes five to 20 minutes to kick in. Lee's testimony comes after one of Weinstein's three accusers at his Manhattan Supreme Court sexual assault retrial, Jessica Mann, accused the former Miramax mogul of raping her within moments of checking into a room at Midtown's DoubleTree Hotel on March 18, 2013. Mann told jurors she noticed a needle in the bathroom trash afterward, and when she looked up the medication, she learned it was used to restore function to his 'dead penis.' Lee testified that preparing the medication takes time, since a dose 'comes with a little plastic container, two bottles, a syringe and two needles,' and the process involves mixing powder with water using one needle, then drawing the mixture out with a second needle. 'After the medicine is injected into the shaft of the penis, how long does it take to take effect?' Weinstein defense lawyer Arthur Aidala asked,' with Lee responding, 'It takes anywhere from five to 20 minutes to take effect. The average is 10 to 15 minutes.' Lee, who never examined or met Weinstein, was the defense team's first witness after prosecutors rested their case, six weeks into the trial. Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg grilled the doctor during her cross-examination, rattling off the various medical topics he's testified as an expert on — including opioids, homicide, drug overdoses, physical and cognitive impairments, and drug screenings. 'Yet you've never been retained as an expert in erectile dysfunction?' she asked, and Lee responded, 'Not necessarily, but there's a common theme to all those cases, and that is pharmacology.' The trial featured allegations from three accusers — 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. _________
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Medical expert talks about erectile dysfunction shot at Harvey Weinstein's NYC sex assault retrial
NEW YORK — Harvey Weinstein's lawyers tried to deflate one of the rape claims against him Wednesday with a medical expert's testimony on how long it takes for an erectile dysfunction injection to work. The expert, Virginia-based doctor and pharmacist Matthew Lee, told jurors that the medication, sold under the name Caverject, must be mixed by hand and injected directly into the penis, and it takes five to 20 minutes to kick in. Lee's testimony comes after one of Weinstein's three accusers at his Manhattan Supreme Court sexual assault retrial, Jessica Mann, accused the former Miramax mogul of raping her within moments of checking into a room at Midtown's DoubleTree Hotel on March 18, 2013. Mann told jurors she noticed a needle in the bathroom trash afterward, and when she looked up the medication, she learned it was used to restore function to his 'dead penis.' Lee testified that preparing the medication takes time, since a dose 'comes with a little plastic container, two bottles, a syringe and two needles,' and the process involves mixing powder with water using one needle, then drawing the mixture out with a second needle. 'After the medicine is injected into the shaft of the penis, how long does it take to take effect?' Weinstein defense lawyer Arthur Aidala asked,' with Lee responding, 'It takes anywhere from five to 20 minutes to take effect. The average is 10 to 15 minutes.' Lee, who never examined or met Weinstein, was the defense team's first witness after prosecutors rested their case, six weeks into the trial. Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg grilled the doctor during her cross-examination, rattling off the various medical topics he's testified as an expert on — including opioids, homicide, drug overdoses, physical and cognitive impairments, and drug screenings. 'Yet you've never been retained as an expert in erectile dysfunction?' she asked, and Lee responded, 'Not necessarily, but there's a common theme to all those cases, and that is pharmacology.' The trial featured allegations from three accusers — 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. _________
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Prosecutors in Harvey Weinstein NYC sexual assault retrial winding up case
Manhattan prosecutors started winding up their case in the sexual assault retrial of Harvey Weinstein Tuesday, calling a clinical psychologist who discussed people's general reactions after being raped as their final witness. Prosecutors expect to rest Wednesday, six weeks into a trial that saw testimony from three women who said the Miramax mogul sexually assaulted them in the 2000s and 2010s. Two of those accusers, actress Jessica Mann and former TV production assistant Miriam Haley, testified at Weinstein's landmark 2020 Manhattan Supreme Court trial, but the state's highest court overturned the jury's guilty verdict in that case last year. Haley and Mann returned to the witness box to once again recount how Weinstein raped them in 2006 and 2013, respectively. Mann testified about how she stayed in a 'relationship' with Weinstein for years after, showering him with complimentary e-mails and at times engaging in consensual sexual encounters with him. A third accuser, Polish model and aspiring actress Kaja Sokola, testified Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006, even after he sexually abused her as a teenager years earlier. Weinstein' defense team has assaulted the credibility of the accusers, arguing that they manipulated Weinstein and took advantage of the 'casting couch' to further their careers, then saw a payday as the #MeToo movement picked up steam after Weinstein was outed in news accounts as a serial sexual harasser. On Tuesday, clinical psychologist Lisa Rocchio told the jury generally about how sexual assault victims often maintain contact with or stay in relationships, even sexual relationships, with their attackers. 'Part of that may be attempting to re-normalize or get back to what you perceive to be normal relations with the individual. You can convince yourself that this was a one-off,' Rocchio said. She also said that victims will often 'dissociate' after or during a sexual assault. 'There's a great deal of minimization … Telling yourself that it isn't that big of a deal,' she said. 'Typically people don't use those really scary words like rape and sexual assault … We know people minimize as a coping strategy.' Weinstein's lawyers expect to cross-examine Rocchio on Wednesday before presenting their own witnesses. It's not yet clear if Weinstein will take the stand in his own defense. _____
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Prosecutors in Harvey Weinstein NYC sexual assault retrial winding down case
Manhattan prosecutors started winding down their case in the sexual assault retrial of Harvey Weinstein Tuesday, calling a clinical psychologist who discussed people's general reactions after being raped as their final witness. Prosecutors expect to rest Wednesday, six weeks into a trial that saw testimony from three women who said the Miramax mogul sexually assaulted them in the 2000s and 2010s. Two of those accusers, actress Jessica Mann and former TV production assistant Miriam Haley, testified at Weinstein's landmark 2020 Manhattan Supreme Court trial, but the state's highest court overturned the jury's guilty verdict in that case last year. Haley and Mann returned to the witness box to once again recount how Weinstein raped them in 2006 and 2013, respectively. Mann testified about how she stayed in a 'relationship' with Weinstein for years after, showering him with complimentary e-mails and at times engaging in consensual sexual encounters with him. A third accuser, Polish model and aspiring actress Kaja Sokola, testified Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006, even after he sexually abused her as a teenager years earlier. Weinstein' defense team has assaulted the credibility of the accusers, arguing that they manipulated Weinstein and took advantage of the 'casting couch' to further their careers, then saw a payday as the #MeToo movement picked up steam after Weinstein was outed in news accounts as a serial sexual harasser. On Tuesday, clinical psychologist Lisa Rocchio told the jury generally about how sexual assault victims often maintain contact with or stay in relationships, even sexual relationships, with their attackers. 'Part of that may be attempting to re-normalize or get back to what you perceive to be normal relations with the individual. You can convince yourself that this was a one-off,' Rocchio said. She also said that victims will often 'dissociate' after or during a sexual assault. 'There's a great deal of minimization … Telling yourself that it isn't that big of a deal,' she said. 'Typically people don't use those really scary words like rape and sexual assault … We know people minimize as a coping strategy.' Weinstein's lawyers expect to cross-examine Rocchio on Wednesday before presenting their own witnesses. It's not yet clear if Weinstein will take the stand in his own defense.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Prosecutors in Harvey Weinstein NYC sexual assault retrial winding up case
Manhattan prosecutors started winding up their case in the sexual assault retrial of Harvey Weinstein Tuesday, calling a clinical psychologist who discussed people's general reactions after being raped as their final witness. Prosecutors expect to rest Wednesday, six weeks into a trial that saw testimony from three women who said the Miramax mogul sexually assaulted them in the 2000s and 2010s. Two of those accusers, actress Jessica Mann and former TV production assistant Miriam Haley, testified at Weinstein's landmark 2020 Manhattan Supreme Court trial, but the state's highest court overturned the jury's guilty verdict in that case last year. Haley and Mann returned to the witness box to once again recount how Weinstein raped them in 2006 and 2013, respectively. Mann testified about how she stayed in a 'relationship' with Weinstein for years after, showering him with complimentary e-mails and at times engaging in consensual sexual encounters with him. A third accuser, Polish model and aspiring actress Kaja Sokola, testified Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006, even after he sexually abused her as a teenager years earlier. Weinstein' defense team has assaulted the credibility of the accusers, arguing that they manipulated Weinstein and took advantage of the 'casting couch' to further their careers, then saw a payday as the #MeToo movement picked up steam after Weinstein was outed in news accounts as a serial sexual harasser. On Tuesday, clinical psychologist Lisa Rocchio told the jury generally about how sexual assault victims often maintain contact with or stay in relationships, even sexual relationships, with their attackers. 'Part of that may be attempting to re-normalize or get back to what you perceive to be normal relations with the individual. You can convince yourself that this was a one-off,' Rocchio said. She also said that victims will often 'dissociate' after or during a sexual assault. 'There's a great deal of minimization … Telling yourself that it isn't that big of a deal,' she said. 'Typically people don't use those really scary words like rape and sexual assault … We know people minimize as a coping strategy.' Weinstein's lawyers expect to cross-examine Rocchio on Wednesday before presenting their own witnesses. It's not yet clear if Weinstein will take the stand in his own defense. _____
