The retrial of Harvey Weinstein has begun in New York – with a prosecutor telling the court the former Hollywood mogul used “dream opportunities as weapons” to prey on the three women accusing him of sexual abuse.
The case is being retried five years after the landmark #MeToo case against the producer, who was once one of the industry’s most powerful figures, after the appeals court last year overturned his conviction.
Weinstein, who is now 73, is charged with raping one woman and forcing oral sex on two others. He has strenuously denied the allegations.
Following a lengthy jury selection process due to the high-profile nature of the retrial, the prosecution has now opened its case at the same courthouse in Manhattan.
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Attorney Shannon Lucey told the court the Oscar-winning producer and studio boss used “dream opportunities as weapons” against the female accusers.
“The defendant wanted their bodies, and the more they resisted, the more forceful he got,” she said.
Weinstein had “enormous control over those working in TV and film because he decided who was in and who was out,” the court heard. “He had all the power. They had none.”
Dressed in a dark suit and navy tie, Weinstein listened to the prosecution’s statement after arriving in court in a wheelchair, as he has done for his recent appearances.
His lawyers are expected to outline their case later on Wednesday.
The opening statements got under way after the last jurors were finally picked on Tuesday, more than a week after the selection process began.
Prospective jurors were questioned about their backgrounds, life experiences and various other points that could potentially impact their ability to be fair and impartial about a case that has been so highly publicised. They have also been asked privately about their knowledge of the case and opinions on Weinstein.
Seven men and five women have been chosen to hear the trial.
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Why is there a retrial?
In 2020, Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison after being found guilty of charges of sexual assault in 2006 and rape in 2013, relating to two women.
But in April 2024, New York’s highest court overturned the convictions due to concerns of prejudicial testimony and that the judge in the original trial had made improper rulings.
Prosecutors announced a retrial last year and a separate charge concerning a third woman, who was not part of the original trial, has since been added to the case. She alleges the producer forced oral sex on her at a hotel in 2006.
Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denies raping or sexually assaulting anyone.
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At a preliminary court hearing in January, he begged for the retrial to be held as quickly as possible due to his deteriorating health, telling the judge: “I don’t know how much longer I can hold on.”
Weinstein was also sentenced in February 2023 after being convicted of rape during a separate trial in LA – which means that even if the retrial ends in not guilty verdicts on all three counts, he will remain behind bars.
His lawyers are also appealing this sentence.
