Opening statements in Harvey Weinstein’s third Manhattan sex crimes trial begin

Harvey Weinstein is facing his third trial in Manhattan for sex crimes, with opening statements scheduled to begin on Tuesday. The 74-year-old former Miramax executive is once again fighting rape allegations, this time from actress Jessica Mann.

The jury for this trial consists of seven men and five women, who were finalized in Manhattan Supreme Court last Friday. They will determine whether Weinstein raped Mann in a New York City hotel room over a decade ago.

Unlike previous trials, Mann is the sole accuser set to testify in this case. She has claimed that she met Weinstein after moving to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career in late 2012.

Weinstein is facing one count of third-degree rape in this trial, as the jury in the previous retrial last year was unable to reach a verdict on this charge after a week of deliberations.

In the 2020 trial, Weinstein was convicted of raping Mann and sentenced to 23 years in prison. However, his conviction was overturned by New York’s highest court, leading to this third trial.

During the retrial, Mann emotionally testified about the alleged rape by Weinstein. He was eventually convicted of assaulting another accuser, Miriam “Mimi” Haley, a former TV production assistant, and is currently awaiting sentencing for that conviction.

Weinstein will be represented by a new defense team consisting of Luigi Mangione and attorneys associated with Sean “Diddy” Combs, including Marc Agnifilo, Teny Geragos, and Jacob Kaplan. They have hinted at presenting a different defense strategy for Weinstein in this trial.

The trial is expected to last for two weeks and will be presided over by Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Curtis Farber. The outcome of this trial will determine Weinstein’s fate as he continues to face serious allegations of sexual misconduct.