Closing arguments start in sexual misconduct trial of Harvey Weinstein

The 1/3 sexual misconduct trial of former film wealthy person Harvey Weinstein was once all of a sudden heading towards a conclusion on Tuesday, as prosecutors and the protection started handing over ultimate arguments in Manhattan prison courtroom.

“If there is a doubt about their case, you gotta throw it out,” protection lawyer Arthur Aidala mentioned of 3 ladies who testified in opposition to Weinstein. “These are the people they want you to believe – they’re all women with broken dreams.”

Aidala argued that prosecutors did not turn out Weinstein’s guilt past a cheap doubt, regardless of hours of moderately making ready their witnesses to construct a case to get “the poster boy, the original sinner” of the #MeToo motion.

Weinstein’s accusers, he persevered, have been untrustworthy. “He’s the one who’s getting used,” Aidala mentioned, and described the encounters as a part of a “courting game” between women and men.

“They are lying about what happened. Not about everything, but about a small slice – just enough to turn their regret, their buyer’s remorse, into criminality,” Aidala mentioned. “Mr Weinstein sits here an innocent man. The presumption of innocence … The only ones who can take that away are the 12 of you … ”

Prosecutors have been set to start their ultimate arguments afterward Tuesday.

Six weeks after prosecutors started laying out their case in opposition to him (in large part a re-airing of a 2020 prison prosecution, with one further accuser, that was once later overturned on enchantment), the subject can be deliberated once more through jurors, with out Weinstein attesting.

He is charged with assaulting 3 ladies in Manhattan between 2006 and 2013 – Mimi Haley, Jessica Mann and Kaja Sokola – and has been showing in courtroom every day in a wheelchair from Manhattan’s Bellevue sanatorium, the place he’s being handled for quite a lot of illnesses, together with continual myeloid leukemia.

Manhattan’s district lawyer, Alvin Bragg, who’s going through re-election this yr, opted to retry Weinstein quickly after his first conviction on third-degree rape and a prison sexual price was once vacated as a result of prosecutors have been discovered to have prejudiced the jury through calling witnesses whose testimony was once unrelated to the fees.

The determination to convey a 2nd prosecution in New York required the 73-year-old Weinstein to shuttle from California, the place he was once serving a 16-year sentence for sexual attack. The 2nd New York trial have shyed away from probably the most critical sexual attack fees that he was once cleared of in 2020 to keep away from double jeopardy.

At trial, prosecutors have sought to ascertain that Weinstein used his energy within the movie trade to sexually attack and “exert enormous control” over the 3 ladies, each and every of whom have been looking for to achieve a footing within the industry.

In opening statements, assistant DA Shannon Lucey mentioned Weinstein had introduced his accusers movie scripts and guarantees of popularity, and he “used those dream opportunities as weapons”.

Prosecutors have shyed away from introducing so-called prior unhealthy acts testimony – however introduced an extra intercourse crimes price associated with Sokola, who accused Weinstein of appearing oral intercourse on her in a Manhattan resort on one instance in early 2006.

Weinstein’s protection crew driven again on that declare, providing jurors the testimony of Helga Samuelsen, a chum of Sokola’s, who mentioned Weinstein had visited Sokola months previous of their shared condominium and spent a couple of part hour in a bed room along with her. Sokola previous testified that the alleged come across had no longer took place.

Weinstein’s protection additionally introduced proof that each and every of the 3 ladies had pleasant relationships with the defendant earlier than and after the alleged sexual attacks – and each and every had gained repayment from a payout fund established after allegations have been made in opposition to the film wealthy person, triggering a public reckoning over gender energy dynamics that got here to be referred to as the #MeToo motion.

Among the witnesses, Jessica Mann testified that she had what she regarded as a romantic dating with Weinstein, who was once then married. All 3 mentioned they believed Weinstein may just lend a hand them with their skilled objectives and maintained relationships with him, and, in some circumstances, he had helped them in finding paintings.

Aidala instructed jurors that the 3 ladies had “fooled around with him consensually”, including “they were flirtatious, they were friendly, they wanted him, they needed him, he could change the trajectories of their lives”.

But a scientific psychologist, attesting for the prosecution, mentioned that for quite a few causes, it isn’t odd for sexual attack sufferers to stay on excellent phrases with their assailants after an attack.

In general, prosecutors offered proof from 24 witnesses all the way through Weinstein’s retrial. They incorporated former assistants, buddies of his accusers and employees on the accommodations the place the alleged attacks came about.

Weinstein, who has pleaded no longer accountable, elected to not testify in his protection – repeating the similar determination he made within the previous trials.

Aidala mentioned his consumer very a lot sought after to take the stand – and have been prepped to take action – earlier than Weinstein made up our minds in opposition to it as a question of court docket technique.