Jury selection is set to start as early as Tuesday in Weinstein's latest retrial, according to multiple reports. Prosecutors and defense attorneys will give opening statements to a new jury on Tuesday, six years after the first trial in New York. Jurors will weigh only one charge based on one accuser in this trial, multiple reports indicate. Specifically, jurors will weigh whether Weinstein raped hairstylist and actor Jessica Mann in a Manhattan hotel in 2013.
Weinstein's legal history includes criminal charges in New York in 2018 and in Los Angeles two years later, according to multiple reports. He was convicted of some but not all counts in both New York and Los Angeles trials, multiple reports indicate. Weinstein's initial New York convictions were overturned, spurring a retrial last year. The case was sent back for retrial in the same Manhattan courthouse, according to research. Weinstein's initial conviction five years ago seemed to cement the downfall of one of Hollywood's most powerful men in a pivotal moment for the #MeToo movement, research shows.
This trial is not going to be a mirror image of the last trial.
In the retrial last year, Weinstein was convicted of forcing oral sex on Miriam Haley in 2006 but acquitted of forcibly performing oral sex on Kaja Sokola that same year, multiple reports indicate. A majority-female jury convicted Weinstein of forcibly subjecting Miriam Haley to a criminal sex act in 2006, research shows. Jurors acquitted Weinstein of a criminal sex act charge related to Kaja Sokola, according to research. Kaja Sokola's allegations of forcible oral sex date to 2006 but were added to the case last year, research indicates. The jury didn't decide on the rape charge involving Mann because the foreperson refused to keep deliberating, multiple reports show.
The partial verdict came after an extraordinary day in which the jury foreperson indicated he felt bullied, according to research. The foreperson complained that other jurors were pushing people to change their minds and talking about information beyond the charges, research shows. According to Judge Curtis Farber, the foreperson expressed that he didn't want to change his position and was being pressured, with another juror making a comment about meeting outside and yelling in the room. Weinstein lawyer Arthur Aidala urged the judge to declare a mistrial, saying the foreperson had expressed concerns for his safety. Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said the foreperson hadn't seemed afraid or apprehensive, just 'stubborn.' On Friday, one of the jurors asked to be excused because he felt another member of the group was being treated unfairly, research indicates. Weinstein's lawyers asked unsuccessfully for a mistrial after the foreperson expressed his concerns Monday, according to research.
I acted wrongly, but I never assaulted anyone.
Weinstein denies all accusations and declared in court that he had 'acted wrongly, but I never assaulted anyone.' He denies sexually assaulting or raping anyone, according to research. Weinstein hasn't testified at any of his trials, and his lawyers have contended he never had non-consensual sex, multiple reports indicate.
Jessica Mann testified she had a consensual, on-and-off relationship with Weinstein but protested when he cornered her in a hotel room. According to The Independent - Main, Jessica Mann described saying 'I don't want to do this' during the alleged incident.
I don't want to do this.
This trial is not going to be a mirror image of the last trial, according to Weinstein lawyer Marc Agnifilo. Weinstein's recent change in attorneys could shift the trial's tenor and tactics, multiple reports suggest. Marc Agnifilo took on the case in February when Arthur Aidala stepped aside to focus on appeals and civil matters, according to multiple reports. The judge might revisit rulings about evidence regarding Weinstein's and Mann's years of interactions, multiple reports indicate, though what specific evidence might be revisited remains unknown.
Weinstein wielded significant clout in the entertainment industry and was a prominent Democratic donor, according to multiple reports. Sexual harassment and assault allegations against Weinstein emerged in 2017, propelling the #MeToo movement, multiple reports indicate.
It was not fair.
Weinstein considered pleading guilty, according to Arthur Aidala, but ultimately rejected the idea. What factors led Weinstein to ultimately reject the idea of pleading guilty remains unclear.
Weinstein urged the judge to halt the trial, declaring it was not fair, according to research. His lawyers unsuccessfully sought a mistrial after the foreperson's concerns, research shows.
The foreperson had expressed concerns for his safety.
Under New York law, the third-degree rape charge carries a lesser penalty than the first-degree criminal sex act offense, according to research. The exact penalties for the third-degree rape charge remain unspecified.
The trial's outcome could further impact Weinstein's legal fate and the #MeToo movement's legacy. Why the foreperson refused to keep deliberating on the rape charge involving Mann in the previous retrial remains unknown. How Weinstein's change in attorneys from Arthur Aidala to Marc Agnifilo might specifically shift the trial's tenor and tactics is also uncertain. The legal proceedings continue amid ongoing scrutiny of high-profile sexual misconduct cases.
The foreperson hadn't seemed afraid or apprehensive, just 'stubborn.'