NEW YORK (AP) — One among Harvey Weinstein ’s accusers broke down in tears and cursed on the witness stand Friday as a protection lawyer questioned her account of the previous Hollywood mogul forcing oral intercourse on her nearly two decades ago.
“He was the one who raped me, not the opposite manner round,” Miriam Haley instructed jurors.
“That’s for the jury to resolve,” Weinstein lawyer Jennifer Bonjean responded.
“No, it’s not for the jury to resolve. It’s my expertise. And he did that to me,” Haley mentioned, utilizing expletives as tears started streaming down her face.
Decide Curtis Farber halted questioning and despatched jurors on a break. Haley, her eyes purple and face glistening, didn’t have a look at Weinstein as she left the witness stand.
Haley, 48, was testifying for a fourth day at Weinstein’s rape trial. Questioning resumed after the break, with Haley composed however frustration typically flickering in her voice.
By midafternoon, the choose grew impatient with contentious cross-talk and extraneous feedback from Haley and the lawyer. Farber pounded his fist on the bench at one level and banged his gavel at one other, telling them: “Let’s behave, each of you.”
Farber later mentioned it was the primary time in 13 years that he’d used the gavel.
Weinstein is charged with sexually assaulting Haley and one other girl, Kaja Sokola, and raping a 3rd, Jessica Mann. Mann and Sokola are also anticipated to testify.
Weinstein denies the allegations. His legal professionals argue that his accusers had consensual encounters with a then-powerful film producer who might advance their careers.
Haley, who has additionally passed by the identify Mimi Haleyi, is the primary accuser to testify on the retrial, which is occurring after an appeals courtroom overturned Weinstein’s conviction at an earlier trial. Haley’s testimony at that 2020 trial took simply someday.
Haley alleges that Weinstein assaulted her after inviting her to cease by his house. She had labored briefly as a manufacturing assistant on the Weinstein-produced TV present “Mission Runway,” and his firm had booked her a flight to Los Angeles the following day to attend a film premiere.
She testified earlier within the week that Weinstein backed her right into a bed room and pushed her onto a mattress, holding her down as she tried to rise up and pleaded: “No, no — it’s not going to occur.”
Haley and two of her friends testified that she instructed them quickly after that Weinstein had sexually assaulted her. She maintains she was by no means desirous about any sexual or romantic relationship with Weinstein however nonetheless needed his assist professionally.
Weinstein, 73, listened together with his arms clasped towards his chin as Haley reiterated she by no means had romantic emotions for him and by no means needed any sexual contact with him.
Bonjean questioned why Haley would conform to go to Weinstein’s house after being delay by a few of his prior habits, together with what she described as him barging into her residence as he sought to steer her to go to Paris with him.
Haley mentioned she thought it might be “bizarre” to refuse the invitation to his Manhattan loft, since his firm had paid for the L.A. flight she was taking the following day.
Haley and grew emotional when requested simply how her garments got here off earlier than Weinstein allegedly yanked out a tampon and carried out oral intercourse on her. Haley mentioned Weinstein took off her clothes, however she didn’t recall the small print: “I used to be, you already know, busy struggling,” she defined.
“You eliminated your garments, proper?” Bonjean quickly requested, resulting in Haley’s tearful and slicing response.
Later, Bonjean continued to press her in regards to the alleged July 2006 assault and its aftermath, together with a time a few weeks later when Haley has mentioned she had intercourse with Weinstein that she didn’t need however didn’t battle.
“You didn’t say, ‘Like, hey, what you probably did to me the opposite night time wasn’t cool?’” Bonjean requested.
“No,” mentioned Haley, reiterating that she “went numb” in the course of the lodge encounter.
Haley stayed in continued, sporadic contact with Weinstein for about three years afterward, based on testimony and paperwork. At occasions, she requested him for work, premiere tickets and monetary backing for an internet TV present she was attempting to launch.
“The opposite stuff is neither right here nor there. It doesn’t imply that I wasn’t sexually assaulted,” Haley mentioned.
Bonjean additionally queried her about her continued interactions with Weinstein and his assistants, about her frequent travels and well-known acquaintances on the time, and about her 2020 lawsuit against Weinstein. It led to a $475,000 settlement.
The Related Press usually doesn’t identify individuals who allege they’ve been sexually assaulted until they provide permission to be recognized. Haley, Mann and Sokola have carried out so.
Need assistance? Go to RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.
