April 29 (UPI) — Harvey Weinstein was again in court Tuesday as his rape retrial continued with much-anticipated witness testimony.
Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, who inherited the case, looked on as ex-TV and film producer Miriam Haley testified about an alleged 2006 encounter at his New York City apartment in which Haley says the disgraced Hollywood mogul forcibly performed oral sex on her.
Haley was the first of three accusers who will take the stand in a replay of testimony given nearly five years ago.
On Tuesday, Haley, who was raised in Sweden, was first asked to identify Weinstein, to which she pointed at him sitting across from her at the defense table as he looked down at his left side in the Manhattan courthouse.
Weinstein, now 73, could spend the rest of his life in prison if found guilty in the retrial of his 2020 conviction for rape and sexual assault.
Haley gave her testimony as she did in the original trial five years ago as other women came forward to recount similar experiences with Weinstein then, too.
The ex-movie producer, whose trials and accusations of sexual assault sparked the national #MeToo movement, is also appealing a 2022 rape conviction and 16-year prison sentence in Los Angeles.
An appeals court last year overturned the conviction due to the court allowing testimony of alleged sexual assault by Weinstein against a woman who was not among his accusers during the 2020 trial. The appellate court ordered a retrial.
Last Tuesday, a jury of seven women and five men was seated for the retrial.
Weinstein attorney Arthur Aidala characterized the relationships between Weinstein and his three accusers — Jessica Mann, Kaja Sokola and Haley — as a “friends with benefits” situation the following day on Wednesday while jurors heard corroborating evidence Thursday of an alleged 2006 sexual assault.
Weinstein currently remains under guard at Bellevue Hospital after a recent transfer from Rikers Island, where his lawyers claim the harsh conditions are affecting his health.
He will remain at Bellevue for the duration of the trial expected to last for several weeks.
