One of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers, Miriam Haley, broke down in tears while testifying in his sexual abuse retrial in New York. Haley claims that Weinstein forced oral sex on her in July 2006 when she was working as a production assistant. This trial is a retrial after an appeals court overturned Weinstein’s previous conviction last year.
Haley, now 48, took the stand in a Manhattan courtroom and became emotional as she recounted her experience. During her testimony, Weinstein’s defense lawyer, Jennifer Bonjean, questioned why Haley would visit Weinstein’s apartment after previously testifying about his behavior, which included allegations of him barging into her home. This line of questioning prompted Haley to become upset, especially when discussing how her clothes came off before the alleged assault.
Haley insisted that Weinstein was the one who assaulted her, stating, "He was the one who raped me, not the other way around." Bonjean responded that it was up to the jury to decide. In a moment of frustration, Haley exclaimed, "No, it’s not for the jury to decide. It’s my experience. And he did that to me." She then expressed her anger, stating, "Don’t tell me I wasn’t raped by that f*****g asshole."
The judge, Curtis Farber, paused the questioning and sent the jurors out for a break. Haley left the stand visibly shaken, with red eyes and tears on her face.
In February 2020, Weinstein was found guilty of sexually assaulting Haley and raping another woman, Jessica Mann, and was sentenced to 23 years in prison. However, his conviction was overturned in April after the appeals court ruled that the trial judge had improperly allowed testimony about allegations not related to the case. Following this ruling, Weinstein faced new charges, including the rape of one woman and forcing oral sex on two others.
Weinstein has consistently denied all allegations against him, and his lawyers argue that his encounters with the accusers were consensual. Regardless of the outcome of this retrial, Weinstein will remain in prison due to a separate conviction for rape in Los Angeles in 2022, which his lawyers are also appealing.