Harvey Weinstein trial: Photos of mogul with Bill Clinton and Queen Elizabeth are debated on day 2 of retrial
In opening statements on Wednesday, prosecutors introduced the jury to a third accuser Kaja Sokola who alleges she was assaulted by the mogul at the age of just 16
The rape and sexual assault retrial of disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein continued on Thursday in a New York courtroom.
Weinstein, who was wheeled into court in a wheelchair as proceedings kicked off on Wednesday, is being tried again after New York’s highest court last year overturned his 2020 conviction and 23-year prison sentence in a major blow to the #MeToo movement.
State prosecutors brought a new charge against Weinstein in September: a criminal sexual act stemming from accusations from former model and aspiring actress Kaja Sokola. He is being retried on charges of rape and criminal sex act based on accusations from former TV production assistant, Miriam Haley, and aspiring actress, Jessica Mann.
The 73-year-old has pleaded not guilty.
In her opening statement on Wednesday, prosecutor Shannon Lucey recounted the claims of several accusers, telling them that Weinstein "didn't take no for an answer.” The court was also introduced to the account of Sokola, the third woman bringing forward allegations in Weinstein's retrial. She did not testify in the previous trial.
Sokola was 16 at the time that she alleges Weinstein sexually assaulted her and is reportedly the youngest accuser to speak out against her.
Court is not sitting on Friday or Monday.
A-list celeb photos admitted into evidence
During testimony by former Getty Images employee Elizabeth Englund, jurors were shown multiple images of Weinstein with A-list celebs:
They included:
- Gwyneth Paltrow
- Penelope Cruz
- Jennifer Lawrence
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Scarlett Johansson
- Alicia Keys
- The Queen of England
Accuser told her roommate about alleged Weinstein assault
Elizabeth Entin, a former roommate of Weinstein accuser Mimi Haleyi, recalled a conversation from July 2006 during which Haleyi alleged that the mogul had forced himself on her.
Entin told the court that her roommate had looked “shaken,” per Inner City Press. Asked what Haleyi had said to her she replied: “That Harvey Weinstein had forcibly put his mouth on her genitals.”
Entin said that she told her roommate to contact a lawyer, saying that the alleged encounter “sounds like rape.”
She added that Weinstein had previously described Haleyi as “the sexiest woman.”
Witness quizzed on her books referencing Weinstein's 'evil energy'
While being cross-examined by the defense, Entin was asked about the references to “the evil energy of Weinstein.”
Per ICP, she was quizzed about writing about her “15 minutes of fame” which she she explains was meant to be humorous.
“Humor about rape?” Weinstein’s lawyer asks her.
Witness did not see her roommate from 2006 until 2020
Entin later said she had not seen her roommate, Mimi Haleyi, from 2006 until 2020.
Asked if the pair had had any contact in that time, Entin replied, per ICP, “I did not.”
“In 2017 there was a lot of publicity, Me Too, you paid attention?” Weinstein lawyer Jennifer Bonjean asked her.
“Not to the details of Miriam case,” Entin replied.
“But you paid attention to Harvey, this man you despise,” Bonjean responded.
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Witness says her roommate 'seemed to enjoy things less' after alleged Weinstein encounter
Entin said that her roommate, Weinstein accuser Mimi Haleyi, “seemed to enjoy things a lot less,” after her alleged sexual assault by the mogul.
She told the court during her testimony on Thursday that Haleyi’s behavior changed, and she had been more subdued during the months they remained living together in New York.
“She spent a lot more time in her room,” Entin said.