Disgraced former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was back in a New York courthouse on Wednesday for the start of his retrial as the prosecution
Disgraced former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein was back in a New York courthouse on Wednesday for the start of his retrial as the prosecution and defence attorneys gave opening arguments.
Weinstein, 73, entered court in a wheelchair and is charged with two counts of first degree criminal sexual act and one count of third degree rape, all against different accusers.
One charge of first degree criminal sexual act – sexual assault against former TV production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 – and the count of third degree rape – against actress Jessica Mann in 2013 – stem from his 2020 New York conviction and are being retried.
After the former mogul was sentenced to 23 years imprisonment in 2020, the conviction was overturned by New York Court of Appeals last year. Appellate judges found the original trial wrongly admitted testimony of “prior bad acts” against women who were not complainants in the trial but testified to show Weinstein had a propensity to commit such acts.
Weinstein faces a recent charge of criminal sexual act in the first degree in 2006 against an accuser identified as former Polish model and actress Kaja Sokola, who claims Weinstein sexually assaulting her when she was 16. Mann, Haley, and Sokola have all consented to be identified.
The former entertainment mogul has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Prosecutor Shannon Lucey told jurors in the Manhattan court that Weinstein used his immense power and status in Hollywood to prey on women embarking on their careers, lured them to his room, and sexually abused them.
Weinstein’s defence attorney Arthur Aidala told jurors his client had “mutually beneficial” relationships with the accusers and helped them with career opportunities.
Earlier this week Weinstein was granted permission to stay in Bellevue Hospital when he is not attending the court, after his legal team argued conditions in Rikers Island prison were unacceptable.
He continues to serve a 16-year sentence handed down by a Los Angeles court in 2023 after he was convicted of raping an actress in 2013.
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