Harvey Weinstein wielded his power like a weapon against a “fragile and sheltered young woman” who claims he raped her 13 years ago, Manhattan prosecutors said at the start of his third New York sexual abuse trial Tuesday.
“It was his world and everyone was just living in it,” Assistant District Attorney Candace White told jurors during opening statements, presenting the disgraced Hollywood tycoon as a bully who “expected everyone to fall in line” with his every demand.
The trial revolves around allegations from Jessica Mann, a former aspiring actor who claims Weinstein sexually assaulted her at the DoubleTree hotel in midtown Manhattan in 2013. He has vehemently denied Mann’s accusations and all allegations of nonconsensual sex.
“Jessica naively believed that she had an opportunity” for professional advancement after first meeting Weinstein, White said, arguing that the movie mogul feigned interest in her acting career and preyed on her vulnerability.
Jacob Kaplan, one of Weinstein’s defense lawyers, forcefully rebutted the prosecution’s narrative. He insisted Weinstein and Mann had a lengthy “consensual sexual relationship,” accusing her of having “slept her way into Hollywood.”
“She was always in control of her actions,” Kaplan said.
Kaplan highlighted emails the two exchanged, which he characterized as “verbal snapshots” of a “supportive,” “caring” and “mutually beneficial” relationship that spanned four years. “He didn’t rape her at any time,” Kaplan said.
Weinstein was found guilty of third-degree rape of Mann in early 2020, but that conviction was overturned in 2024 by a New York state appeals court. The court found the trial judge had improperly allowed testimony based on allegations that were not part of the case. He was tried again last year, but the jury failed to reach a verdict on the charge related to Mann.
The same jury found Weinstein guilty of first-degree criminal sexual act based on an allegation made by Miriam Haley, a former “Project Runway” production assistant who claims he forcibly performed oral sex on her in 2006. He was acquitted on a second count of first-degree criminal sexual act linked to a similar allegation brought by Kaja Sokola, a former model.
He was also convicted of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault in separate proceedings in California in December 2022. He is appealing that verdict.
Weinstein, 74, appeared in court Tuesday in a navy suit and white button-down shirt. Seated in a wheelchair, he appeared to murmur a few words under his breath as the proceedings got underway.
In recent years, Weinstein's health has visibly declined and he has faced various medical issues, including a diagnosis of bone marrow cancer.
Weinstein once lorded over Hollywood. Miramax, his first distribution label, released seminal independent films like “Clerks” and “Pulp Fiction.” He won an Oscar as a producer of “Shakespeare in Love.” In the early 2010s, his second distribution company scored back-to-back best picture wins for “The King’s Speech” and “The Artist.”
But his reign came crashing down in 2017 after The New York Times and The New Yorker published exposés detailing his alleged pattern of sexual harassment and assault. The first wave of accusations against him in 2017 propelled the #MeToo movement, a reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful people in high-profile professions.
In all, more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual assault or harassment. He has denied all allegations against him.
