As Harvey Weinstein’s retrial opens, prosecutors paint picture of a sexual predator
Prosecutor says film producer had all the power, victims had none; his 2020 NY conviction was overturned, amid errors by trial judge, though his California sentence still stands
NEW YORK (Reuters) — Harvey Weinstein’s retrial on rape and sexual assault charges got underway on Wednesday in Manhattan, as a prosecutor said the once-powerful movie producer preyed upon women hoping to make it big in Hollywood.
Prosecutor Shannon Lucey told jurors in a New York state court in Manhattan that the Oscar-winning producer exploited his status as a Hollywood gatekeeper and power broker to sexually abuse women, then assured their silence by holding their careers hostage.
“Harvey Weinstein had enormous control over those working in TV and film because he decided who was in and who was out,” Lucey said in her opening argument. “He had all the power. They had none.”
Prosecutors have portrayed Weinstein as a serial predator who promised career advancement in Hollywood to women, only to then coax them into hotel rooms and private apartments where he overpowered and attacked them.
Weinstein, 73, dressed in a dark suit and navy tie, listened after being brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair.
His lawyers are expected to give an opening argument later on Wednesday.
Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree criminal sexual act and one count of third-degree rape. He could face decades in prison if convicted.
The trial came one year after New York’s highest court overturned Weinstein’s 2020 rape and sexual assault conviction and 23-year prison sentence, citing errors by the trial judge.
Weinstein’s conviction had been a capstone moment 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.
The Miramax studio co-founder has denied assaulting anyone or having non-consensual sex.
The new trial before state Supreme Court Justice Curtis Farber is expected to last about six weeks. Farber did not handle the original trial. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg attended the start of the retrial.
“We’re hoping that Mr. Weinstein is going to get a fair trial this time,” Imran Ansari, one of his lawyers, told reporters. “He wants to clear his name.”
The state Court of Appeals threw out Weinstein’s conviction last April and ordered a new trial, saying that the trial had been unfair because the original judge let women testify that Weinstein assaulted them even though their accusations were not the basis for criminal charges.
Bragg’s office is again accusing Weinstein of sexually assaulting former production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 and raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013, charges he was convicted of in the first trial.
For the retrial, prosecutors added a new charge that Weinstein assaulted another woman in Manhattan in 2006.
Even if he is acquitted, Weinstein will likely spend the rest of his life in prison because he was convicted of sex crimes in California and was sentenced to a 16-year term.
Weinstein has had several health scares while being held in New York City’s Rikers Island jail, and in September was rushed to a hospital for emergency heart surgery. Citing his health, Weinstein’s lawyers are seeking a court order to let him stay overnight at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan for the duration of the trial.
Weinstein’s representatives have said he has received inadequate medical care at Rikers.
Lindsay Goldbrum, a lawyer representing the new unidentified victim, called the retrial a pivotal moment in the fight against sexual abuse.
“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,” Goldbrum said in a statement.
Weinstein’s film studio filed for bankruptcy in March 2018, five months after the original sexual misconduct accusations became widely publicized.
The Times of Israel Community.