Jurors began deliberations Thursday in Harvey Weinstein’s high-profile New York sex crimes retrial, revisiting a case closely tied to the #MeToo movement. The jury of seven women and five men is tasked with deciding on two counts of criminal sex act and one count of rape, each involving different accusers and incidents. The criminal sex act charge carries a higher felony degree.
Weinstein, 73, has pleaded not guilty. The trial follows the 2020 conviction that was later overturned, prompting this retrial before a new jury and judge. Over five weeks of testimony included detailed and sometimes intense questioning of Weinstein’s three accusers: Jessica Mann, who alleges rape in 2013 during her early acting career; Miriam Haley, who claims he forcibly performed oral sex in 2006 while she sought entertainment production work; and Kaja Sokola, a teenage fashion model at the time, who testified about a similar assault in 2006.
Prosecutor Nicole Blumberg argued that Weinstein exploited the women’s career ambitions to commit sexual assaults, stating he intended to “have their bodies and touch their bodies whether they wanted him to or not.” Weinstein did not testify, while his defense emphasized consent and transactional relationships, highlighting that the accusers maintained friendly relations with Weinstein afterward.
The Associated Press respects the privacy of sexual assault survivors but notes that Sokola, Mann, and Haley have agreed to be publicly named.
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