Prosecutor says Weinstein used clout to prey on women
A prosecutor told a jury in Manhattan that Harvey Weinstein used his Hollywood influence and a defense lawyer said the former movie mogul’s third rape trial in New York stemmed from consensual sex.
Weinstein, 74, was a leading filmmaker in Hollywood until sexual harassment allegations against him led to his downfall and sparked a broader social movement encouraging women to come forward with accounts of sexual abuse by powerful men.
He pleaded not guilty to third-degree rape and denied assaulting anyone or having sexual intercourse without their consent.
Prosecutor Candace White told jurors that Weinstein raped actress Jessica Mann in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013, but Mann resisted and repeatedly said “No.”
“This case will come down to power, control and manipulation,” White said, accusing Weinstein of preying on “fragile and sheltered” young women who dream of Hollywood stardom.
Defense attorney Jacob Kaplan accused Mann, who regretted that her romance with Weinstein did not further her film career, of fabricating the rape allegation.
He told jurors the emails would show Mann was a “strong and capable” woman who had a consensual relationship with Weinstein.
Testimony in the case was scheduled to begin Tuesday afternoon.
Weinstein’s previous trial conviction for raping Mann was overturned on appeal, and the jury at the second trial was unable to reach a verdict on that charge.
The final trial before Judge Curtis Farber began with jury selection in Manhattan state court last week and is expected to last about a month.
At his first trial in New York in 2020, Weinstein was found guilty of raping Mann in 2013 and assaulting one-time production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006, but the state’s highest court overturned the conviction and overturned Weinstein’s 23-year prison sentence, concluding that Weinstein did not receive a fair trial.
A jury in Manhattan later found Weinstein guilty of sexually assaulting Haley at a June 2025 trial, but found him not guilty of assaulting former model Kaja Sokola.
The jury deadlocked on the third-degree rape charge accusing Weinstein of assaulting Mann, leading to a mistrial for Farber on that count.
Weinstein was also convicted of rape in California in 2022 and is serving a 16-year prison sentence.
He is appealing this conviction and sentence.
Weinstein faces up to 25 years in prison when sentenced for harassing Haley.
