Harvey Weinstein trial: Photos of mogul with Bill Clinton and Queen Elizabeth are debated on day 2 of retrial
In opening statements on Wednesday, prosecutors introduced the jury to a third accuser Kaja Sokola who alleges she was assaulted by the mogul at the age of just 16
The rape and sexual assault retrial of disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein continued on Thursday in a New York courtroom.
Weinstein, who was wheeled into court in a wheelchair as proceedings kicked off on Wednesday, is being tried again after New York’s highest court last year overturned his 2020 conviction and 23-year prison sentence in a major blow to the #MeToo movement.
State prosecutors brought a new charge against Weinstein in September: a criminal sexual act stemming from accusations from former model and aspiring actress Kaja Sokola. He is being retried on charges of rape and criminal sex act based on accusations from former TV production assistant, Miriam Haley, and aspiring actress, Jessica Mann.
The 73-year-old has pleaded not guilty.
In her opening statement on Wednesday, prosecutor Shannon Lucey recounted the claims of several accusers, telling them that Weinstein "didn't take no for an answer.” The court was also introduced to the account of Sokola, the third woman bringing forward allegations in Weinstein's retrial. She did not testify in the previous trial.
Sokola was 16 at the time that she alleges Weinstein sexually assaulted her and is reportedly the youngest accuser to speak out against her.
Court is not sitting on Friday or Monday.
That’s the end of our coverage for today
That’s the end of our coverage for today.
Court isn’t sitting tomorrow or Friday, so check back in on Tuesday next week.
In the meantime, here’s analysis from Kelly Rissman.
Harvey Weinstein is unlikely to walk free again no matter the results of his trial. Still, the stakes are high
Read more here:
Stakes are high for Harvey Weinstein’s sex crimes trial
Weinstein returns to same courthouse as first trial five years ago
Harvey Weinstein is set to return to the same courthouse where he was tried five years ago.
A female-majority jury will hear opening arguments today in the retrial that could take six weeks.
This time, the jury is made up of seven women and five men — unlike the seven-man, five-woman panel that convicted him in 2020.
Stay with us as we bring you live updates from the court.
Weinstein allegations set off a a cultural bomb across the movie industry
Harvey Weinstein’s long-awaited New York retrial began with jury selection last week. Now the 73-year-old former movie mogul will face sex crimes charges in court in a major test for the enduring power of the #MeToo movement.
When New York prosecutors first arrested Weinstein in 2018, the stories of his accusers not only set off a cultural bomb across the movie industry but also led to systemic change in politics, sports, and other industries for good.
That momentum was buoyed in 2020 when a jury convicted Weinstein of sexual assault and rape — only to sink last year when an appeals court threw out that conviction.
As the Weinstein retrial gets underway in New York City — with an additional sex crimes charge added to the original two, all of which he’s pleaded not guilty to — so too does the chance for women to have their day in court, again.
Kelly Rissman looks at what the retrial means for the #MeToo movement.
Harvey Weinstein #MeToo retrial: What to know as the movie mogul heads back to court
Who is on the jury?
Drawn from Manhattan’s jury pool, the 12 members of the main jury for the New York retrial include a physics researcher, a photographer, a dietician, a therapist, an investment bank software engineer and a fire safety director.
Others have experience in real estate, TV commercials, debt collection, social work and other fields.
One has a high school equivalency degree. Others have master’s degrees. Some have served as jurors or grand jurors multiple times before; others, never.
Hundreds of other potential jurors were excused for reasons ranging from language barriers to strong opinions about Weinstein — “the first word that came in my head was ‘pig,’” said one man who was soon let go.
Those chosen were quizzed about their backgrounds, life experiences and various other points that could relate to their ability to be fair and impartial about the highly publicized case.
Weinstein allowed to stay in hospital during the retrial
Harvey Weinstein was granted a minor legal victory last week in his Manhattan retrial when a judge agreed to let the disgraced film mogul spend the remainder of his trial in a hospital rather than Rikers Island.
Lawyers for Weinstein had asked Judge Curtis Farber to allow their client to remain in the hospital due to his extensive health issues. Farber agreed, saying “to not do so could lead to exacerbation of and further serious medical conditions, and possibly death.”
Court documents indicate Weinstein, 73, has been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, diabetes mellitus, extensive coronary artery disease, angina, diffuse moderate coronary artery disease, obstructive sleep apnea, thyroid issues and obesity, in addition to several other health issues.
Weinstein will be transferred to Bellevue Hospital in Kips Bay, where he will remain for the duration of his retrial on rape accusations.
Read the full story.
Harvey Weinstein allowed to stay in hospital as he faces sex-crimes retrial
Stakes are high for the future of the #MeToo movement
The Independent’s Kelly Rissman reports live from court.
I’m at the New York criminal courthouse in downtown Manhattan where opening statements are set to begin in a few hours.
It’s a quiet morning at the courthouse so far. Just a handful of members of the public are waiting to enter the courtroom, hoping to see through what began eight years ago when the film mogul first faced #MeToo allegations.
Weinstein, who’s being kept in the hospital for the duration of the trial, will likely never see life outside of prison regardless of this trial’s outcome.
He has yet to start serving his 16-year sentence after being convicted in Los Angeles.
Still, the stakes are high for the future of the movement. Lindsay Goldbrum, an attorney for the new anonymous victim, has said: “More than seven years after #MeToo, this case will test how far we’ve advanced in our collective understanding of sexual assault, power dynamics, and what it means to be a survivor.”
Watch: Live scenes from outside the courthouse as proceedings due to begin shortly
Proceedings will begin shortly as the court is being seated at the moment, Kelly Rissman reports from the courthouse.
Gloria Allred, who has represented multiple women in their cases against Weinstein, told The Independent that she is feeling “positive” about today.
Speaking of the #MeToo movement, Allred previously told The Independent:
“The herstory of the #MeToo movement and the women's movement has always been two steps forward and one step backwards. So we cannot expect to always be successful.”
Recap: Timeline of Weinstein's legal battles
In case you need a recap, here is a timeline of the disgraced movie mogul’s legal battles, spanning 2017 – present day.
Harvey Weinstein’s New York retrial is about to begin. Here’s where his cases stand
Harvey Weinstein's health issues
Ahead of his retrial Harvey Weinstein was granted a minor victory after a judge ruled he can spend the remainder of it in a hospital rather than Rikers Island.
The 73-year-old has been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, diabetes mellitus, extensive coronary artery disease, angina, diffuse moderate coronary artery disease, obstructive sleep apnea, thyroid issues and obesity, in addition to several other health issues.
In September, he was hospitalized for emergency heart surgery and the next month he was diagnosed with cancer.
Weinstein will be transferred to Bellevue Hospital in Kips Bay, where he will remain for the duration of his retrial on rape accusations.
Harvey Weinstein: The #MeToo movement’s most notorious villain heads back to court for retrial
Harvey Weinstein is heading back to court in New York — a year after an appeals court threw out the conviction of the most famous bad man of the #MeToo era.
Has the movement survived? asks Kelly Rissman
