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Hindustan Times
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
'No means no' prosecutor tells jurors as Harvey Weinstein trial wraps
A prosecutor told jurors at Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape and sexual assault trial Wednesday that "no means no" as they prepared to consider his fate. A New York state appeals court had thrown out Weinstein's 2020 convictions after irregularities in the presentation of witnesses at his original trial, forcing two victims of his alleged abuse to testify a second time. "He raped three women, they all said no," said prosecutor Nicole Blumberg as she recounted the evidence of the three alleged victims of Weinstein who testified at this trial. The Hollywood powerbroker had "all the power" and "all the control" over the alleged victims which is why jurors should find him guilty, she said. "The defendant thought the rules did not apply to him, now it is the time to let him know that the rules apply to him. "There is no reasonable doubt, tell the defendant what he already knows -- that he is guilty of the three crimes." Weinstein's defense attorney insisted the sexual encounters were consensual, pointing to a "casting couch" dynamic between the movie mogul and the women. "We don't want to police the bedroom" -- except in cases of rape, Blumberg fired back. Judge Curtis Farber indicated that he would give his instructions to the jurors Thursday morning, the final step before they withdraw behind closed doors to deliberate. Weinstein, the producer of box-office hits "Pulp Fiction" and "Shakespeare in Love," has never acknowledged wrongdoing. The cinema magnate, whose downfall in 2017 sparked the global #MeToo movement, has been on trial again since April 15 in a scruffy Manhattan courtroom. He is serving a 16-year prison sentence after being convicted in California of raping and assaulting a European actress more than a decade ago. Two of the accusers in this case -- onetime production assistant Miriam Haley and then-aspiring actress Jessica Mann -- testified at Weinstein's original trial. Their accounts helped galvanize the #MeToo movement nearly a decade ago, but the case is being re-prosecuted at a new trial in New York. His 2020 convictions on charges relating to Haley and Mann, and his 23-year prison term, were overturned last year by the New York Court of Appeals. The tribunal ruled that the way witnesses were handled in the original trial was unlawful. Some 20 years after the earliest incidents were alleged to have taken place, Weinstein's defense team have sought to cast doubt on the credibility of the accusers. Weinstein has appeared daily in a wheelchair, physically subdued, but laughing and joking with his legal team. He did not speak at his trial, which also featured a new charge of sexual assault committed against former Polish model Kaja Sokola.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'No means no' prosecutor tells jurors as Harvey Weinstein trial wraps
A prosecutor told jurors at Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape and sexual assault trial Wednesday that "no means no" as they prepared to consider his fate. A New York state appeals court had thrown out Weinstein's 2020 convictions after irregularities in the presentation of witnesses at his original trial, forcing two victims of his alleged abuse to testify a second time. "He raped three women, they all said no," said prosecutor Nicole Blumberg as she recounted the evidence of the three alleged victims of Weinstein who testified at this trial. The Hollywood powerbroker had "all the power" and "all the control" over the alleged victims which is why jurors should find him guilty, she said. "The defendant thought the rules did not apply to him, now it is the time to let him know that the rules apply to him. "There is no reasonable doubt, tell the defendant what he already knows -- that he is guilty of the three crimes." Weinstein's defense attorney insisted the sexual encounters were consensual, pointing to a "casting couch" dynamic between the movie mogul and the women. "We don't want to police the bedroom" -- except in cases of rape, Blumberg fired back. Judge Curtis Farber indicated that he would give his instructions to the jurors Thursday morning, the final step before they withdraw behind closed doors to deliberate. - 'MeToo' movement - Weinstein, the producer of box-office hits "Pulp Fiction" and "Shakespeare in Love," has never acknowledged wrongdoing. The cinema magnate, whose downfall in 2017 sparked the global #MeToo movement, has been on trial again since April 15 in a scruffy Manhattan courtroom. He is serving a 16-year prison sentence after being convicted in California of raping and assaulting a European actress more than a decade ago. Two of the accusers in this case -- onetime production assistant Miriam Haley and then-aspiring actress Jessica Mann -- testified at Weinstein's original trial. Their accounts helped galvanize the #MeToo movement nearly a decade ago, but the case is being re-prosecuted at a new trial in New York. His 2020 convictions on charges relating to Haley and Mann, and his 23-year prison term, were overturned last year by the New York Court of Appeals. The tribunal ruled that the way witnesses were handled in the original trial was unlawful. Some 20 years after the earliest incidents were alleged to have taken place, Weinstein's defense team have sought to cast doubt on the credibility of the accusers. Weinstein has appeared daily in a wheelchair, physically subdued, but laughing and joking with his legal team. He did not speak at his trial, which also featured a new charge of sexual assault committed against former Polish model Kaja Sokola. arb-gw/sla
France 24
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- France 24
'No means no' prosecutor tells jurors as Harvey Weinstein trial wraps
A New York state appeals court had thrown out Weinstein's 2020 convictions after irregularities in the presentation of witnesses at his original trial, forcing two victims of his alleged abuse to testify a second time. "He raped three women, they all said no," said prosecutor Nicole Blumberg as she recounted the evidence of the three alleged victims of Weinstein who testified at this trial. The Hollywood powerbroker had "all the power" and "all the control" over the alleged victims which is why jurors should find him guilty, she said. "The defendant thought the rules did not apply to him, now it is the time to let him know that the rules apply to him. "There is no reasonable doubt, tell the defendant what he already knows -- that he is guilty of the three crimes." Weinstein's defense attorney insisted the sexual encounters were consensual, pointing to a "casting couch" dynamic between the movie mogul and the women. "We don't want to police the bedroom" -- except in cases of rape, Blumberg fired back. Judge Curtis Farber indicated that he would give his instructions to the jurors Thursday morning, the final step before they withdraw behind closed doors to deliberate. 'MeToo' movement Weinstein, the producer of box-office hits "Pulp Fiction" and "Shakespeare in Love," has never acknowledged wrongdoing. The cinema magnate, whose downfall in 2017 sparked the global #MeToo movement, has been on trial again since April 15 in a scruffy Manhattan courtroom. He is serving a 16-year prison sentence after being convicted in California of raping and assaulting a European actress more than a decade ago. Two of the accusers in this case -- onetime production assistant Miriam Haley and then-aspiring actress Jessica Mann -- testified at Weinstein's original trial. Their accounts helped galvanize the #MeToo movement nearly a decade ago, but the case is being re-prosecuted at a new trial in New York. His 2020 convictions on charges relating to Haley and Mann, and his 23-year prison term, were overturned last year by the New York Court of Appeals. The tribunal ruled that the way witnesses were handled in the original trial was unlawful. Some 20 years after the earliest incidents were alleged to have taken place, Weinstein's defense team have sought to cast doubt on the credibility of the accusers. Weinstein has appeared daily in a wheelchair, physically subdued, but laughing and joking with his legal team. He did not speak at his trial, which also featured a new charge of sexual assault committed against former Polish model Kaja Sokola.
Reuters
19 hours 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.
Time of India
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Harvey Weinstein's lawyer claims rape and sexual assault accusers were 'women with broken dreams'
The lawyer defending fallen Hollywood mogul from rape and sexual assault charges called those testifying against his client "women with broken dreams" as he made his final pitch to jurors. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A New York state appeals court had thrown out Weinstein's 2020 convictions after irregularities in the presentation of witnesses at his original trial, forcing two victims of his alleged abuse to testify a second time. "If there is a doubt about their case, you gotta throw it out. These are the people they want you to believe, they're all women with broken dreams," defense attorney Arthur Aidala said of the women who testified against Weinstein at this trial. Prosecutor Nicole Blumberg fired back saying that "we are here because (Weinstein) raped three people -- that's why we are here." Her closing argument will continue Wednesday. Judge Curtis Farber will then give instructions to the jury, who will deliberate on a verdict. Weinstein, the producer of box-office hits "Pulp Fiction" and "Shakespeare in Love," has never acknowledged wrongdoing. The cinema magnate, whose downfall in 2017 sparked the global #MeToo movement, has been on trial again since April 15 in a scruffy Manhattan courtroom. He is serving a 16-year prison sentence after being convicted in California of raping and assaulting a European actress more than a decade ago. Two of the accusers in this case -- onetime production assistant Miriam Haley and then-aspiring actress Jessica Mann -- testified at Weinstein's original trial. Their accounts helped galvanize the #MeToo movement nearly a decade ago, but the case is being re-prosecuted at a new trial in New York. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now His 2020 convictions on charges relating to Haley and Mann, and his 23-year prison term, were overturned last year by the New York Court of Appeals. The tribunal ruled that the way witnesses were handled in the original trial was unlawful. - 'He didn't listen' - Some 20 years after the earliest incidents were alleged to have taken place, Aidala sought to cast doubt on the credibility of the accusers. He said it was not a question of whether his client engaged in sexual relations with the three women, but if those encounters were consensual. He described the encounters as "transactional" and "casting couch" scenarios involving young women who used their beauty and charm to make an older man open doors for them. Prosecutor Blumberg countered that "this is not a transaction, it was never about fooling around, it was about rape." But Aidala insisted Weinstein was the one who was used, countering prosecutors who portrayed Weinstein as an all-powerful Hollywood figure. Aidala loudly reeled off metaphors to explain his version of events, seeking to win over the jury with jokes. He mimicked the victims to highlight inconsistencies, likening one of them to a child caught in a lie. The veteran defense attorney stressed that victims continued to associate with Weinstein after the alleged assaults, something they did not dispute, explaining that they feared jeopardizing their careers. Blumberg said "they knew it was necessary to stay on his side. They feared his retaliation, they buried (their) trauma as if nothing had happened." During the trial, the three victims testified that their sexual encounters with Weinstein were not consensual. The retrial also heard new evidence from Kaja Sokola, a Polish former model who testified that Weinstein first sexually assaulted her when she was a minor at age 16. She said one occasion Weinstein pushed her onto a bed and forced her to have sex. "I told him to stop," she said, "but he didn't listen." Weinstein has appeared daily in a wheelchair, physically subdued, but laughing and joking with his legal team. This time, hearings have received less media attention, taking place in the shadow of the highly anticipated trial of hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, on trial blocks away at federal court on charges of sex trafficking and racketeering.
