Harvey Weinstein Doesn’t Plan to Testify at New York Retrial

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Harvey Weinstein doesn’t plan to testify at his sex crimes retrial in New York City.

On Sunday, Arthur Aidala, Weinstein’s attorney, announced the news, according to the Associated Press. The trial will continue with closing statements scheduled for Tuesday, as the court does not usually hold sessions on Mondays.

Harvey Weinstein faces two charges for allegedly committing a severe form of sexual assault in the first degree, as well as one charge for third-degree rape. These accusations come from three women: former model Kaja Sokola, ex-TV production assistant Miriam Haley (who was the initial witness in Weinstein’s second trial), and aspiring actress Jessica Mann. However, he has denied any guilt across all charges.

Last week, Weinstein’s defense started presenting witnesses, and based on Associated Press reports, there had been considerations about whether the ex-film producer would testify himself.

He expressed a desire to speak out, and we acknowledge that urge. However, at this point, such action might inadvertently tarnish his reputation unduly,” stated Juda Engelmayer, Weinstein’s representative, to EbMaster. “Our stance is one of prudence, not avoidance.

On Friday, May 30th, the jury listened to testimony from witness Talita Maia, which was read out loud by court personnel as she wasn’t present for the current trial. Maia had previously testified during Weinstein’s 2020 trial in New York, where she stated that Jessica Mann did not show any discomfort around Weinstein and did not suggest that he had assaulted her when an alleged incident occurred in 2013.

Among those testifying for the defense were Thomas Richards, a past acquaintance of Mann’s whom she met around 2011 or 2012, and Helga Semulsen, an old friend of Sokola’s who lived with her in New York for a short period in autumn 2005.

Or simply:

The defense called Thomas Richards and Helga Semulsen as witnesses. Richards was Mann’s acquaintance from around 2011 or 2012, while Semulsen knew Sokola and lived with her in New York for a brief period in the fall of 2005.

As a cinephile, I myself didn’t step foot in the courtroom during my initial New York trial back in the day, nor did I attend the subsequent rape trial held in L.A. in 2022. In both instances, I was found guilty and have since appealed the judgments handed down against me.

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2025-06-02 20:46