Imogen James
Live reporter

Opening statements from both sides have finished and the court has taken a lunch break.

Here's what happened so far in the retrial of ex-Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.

The prosecution

The prosecution outlined claims of three women this case is focusing on: Miriam Haley, Kaja Sokola and Jessica Mann.

Haley and Mann's allegations were heard in the 2020 trial, where Weinstein was convicted. But that conviction was later overturned by the court of appeals.

Sokola alleges Weinstein forced oral sex on her in 2006 when she was 19.

The prosecutor, Shannon Lucey, called Weinstein a "Hollywood gatekeeper" who held "unfettered power for over 30 years in that industry".

The defence

Arthur Aidala told the jury that after they hear the evidence, the case “is going to fall flat on its face”.

Aidala suggested the women were not taken advantage of. Weinstein's lawyer claimed the acts were consensual, and that the women believed the producer could advance their careers.

He told the court that many of the women continued to see Weinstein after the alleged sexual assaults.

We're now finishing our live coverage. You can read New York reporter Madeline Halpert's coverage of day one of Harvey Weinstein's retrial here.

Thanks for joining us.

Image source, Jane Rosenberg / Reuters

We have another glimpse inside the New York courtroom to share with you.

Artist Jane Rosenberg sketched Harvey Weinstein as he watched his lead attorney Arthur Aidala during opening remarks.

Earlier, we saw sketches of prosecutor Shannon Lucey and Justice Curtis Farber.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Both sides have finished their opening statements, which lasted roughly two hours.

Aidala is continuing to try to cast doubt on the women's claims because they stayed in contact with Weinstein after the alleged assaults.

He claims Jessica Mann did not tell her agent and her friend who were waiting downstairs minutes later that Weinstein allegedly raped her.

“There was chemistry between Jessica and Harvey," Aidala says.

The women, he argues, were after money and wanted to use Weinstein for his fame and power.

“These women are addicted to that fame,” Aidala says. “They want to be heroes.”

Image source, Reuters

Weinstein's defence attorney has just pointed out lawyer Gloria Allred, who is sitting in the public space in the courtroom.

Allred is a prominent women's rights attorney. She's represented several women who were victims of Harvey Weinstein.

She was the lawyer for Miriam Haley, a former production assistant, in the trial that saw Weinstein's now-overturned conviction in 2020. Haley is one of the accusers again in this trial.

She also represented victims during the Los Angeles trial.

Allred is currently representing claimants in the UK case against former Harrods boss Mohammed al-Fayed, and previously represented victims in the case of singer R Kelly.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Image source, AFP

Aidala is accusing the three women of lying for money.

He says the women were put in contact with lawyer Gloria Allred, who Aidala says is “known for suing celebs”.

Prosecutors mentioned that some of the women received settlements from civil suits against Weinstein over the alleged abuse.

He gestures to Allred, who is sitting behind reporters in the back row of the courtroom today, looking dismayed by his remarks.

Aidala is now using a metaphor related to a circus, when he is interrupted by the judge, who says "I'm not sure where he's going with this."

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Aidala is attacking the three women who have made accusations against Weinstein.

He is using some of the alleged victim's claims against them, including that Polish model Kaja Sokola - who alleges Weinstein assaulted her at age 16 - has had her struggles.

Sokola, Aidala says, is “troubled”.

“She’s got a lot of problems,” he says, attempting to cast doubt on her claims, noting that she wrote Weinstein kind text messages later.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Aidala is not denying that Weinstein had sexual relations with the women, but is instead suggesting that the sexual acts were consensual, calling them Weinstein’s “friends with benefits”.

“The casting couch is not a crime scene,” Aidala says.

Weinstein’s lawyer admits that it was “immoral” for Weinstein to cheat on his “gorgeous” wife with the women. But, Aidala claims, it was wrong “on both ends”.

Aidala claims there was nothing stopping one of the women from running away from Weinstein during their encounter in the middle of the day.

Aidala points out that many of the women continued to see Weinstein after the alleged sexual assaults.

“She’s taking her rapist to have lunch,” Aidala says of one of the women.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Image source, EPA

Aidala starts by outlining his client’s extensive Hollywood credentials.

Weinstein is watching his lawyer from his wheelchair as Aidala walks around the court, delivering his opening statement with frequent hand gestures.

He tells jurors that they do not have the full story about his client.

“What you’re going to learn about all three of these women is that they realized very quickly, Harvey Weinstein, he’s got the key to that room they want to go to,” Aidala says. “None of them have the qualifications to get into that room.”

“They want him to like them when they need it,” Aidala says, claiming the women were “flirtatious” and that “they wanted" Weinstein.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court in Manhattan

We're back from a short recess, and it's now to Weinstein's lawyers to deliver their opening statement.

Weinstein's attorney Arthur Aidala paces as he talks to jurors, introducing himself to them.

"Folks, after you hear all the evidence, their case is going to fall flat on its face," he tells them. "They're going to ask you to make sense of things that just don't make sense."

While we wait for more details to emerge from opening arguments at Weinstein's rape and sexual assault retrial in a Manhattan court, let's take a look back over how we got here.

• Allegations against Weinstein began to emerge in October 2017, when the New York Times first reported incidents dating back decades
• Weinstein issued an apology acknowledging he had "caused a lot of pain", but disputed the allegations
• As dozens more accusations emerged, Weinstein was sacked by the board of his company and all but banished from Hollywood
• A criminal investigation was launched in New York in late 2017, but Weinstein was not charged until May 2018, when he turned himself in to police
• The New York trial began on 6 January, 2020, with accusers including Rose McGowan and Rosanna Arquette protesting outside the court
• He was sentenced to 23 years in prison on 11 March, 2020
• On 20 December, 2022, a Los Angeles jury finds Weinstein guilty of raping an Italian model and actress. He is sentenced to 16 years in prison three days later
• In April of 2024, the New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction, on the basis that he did not receive a fair trial

You can read many more dates and details in our in-depth timeline.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Lucey is now telling jurors about the “profoundly psychological” and “physical” hold Weinstein had over his alleged victims.

Weinstein “defined the field” of acting, she says.

The three victims “kept their shame and their pain to themselves” for years because of his role as a film mogul, Lucey says.

But, she says, that all ended in October of 2017, when the New York Times published its investigation into Weinstein’s alleged sexual abuse and harassment.

The story led dozens of women to come forward with their own allegations against Weinstein, galvanising the #MeToo movement against sex abuse by powerful men.

Then, Lucey says, the three victims “suddenly realized they were not alone”.

Image source, Getty Images

Actress Jessica Mann is one of the original accusers in this case.

She took Weinstein to court for rape and sexual assault. She's been very vocal about her allegations against Weinstein.

Mann, now 39, is an actress, known for starring in Fantasy Tales, This Isn't Funny and Asylum: Twisted Horror.

Her latest work was released in 2020.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Prosecutors are now introducing the third woman at the heart of this case, Jessica Mann.

Mann met Weinstein around 2012, when he allegedly expressed interest in her acting career. During a business meeting in a hotel restaurant with Mann, Weinstein directed waiters to bring their food upstairs to a private room because they were being interrupted too much.

In the room, Lucey says, Weinstein asked her to take her shirt off so he could give her a massage. She declined. Weinstein then asked Mann to give him a massage, to which she agreed, Lucey says. Mann left after this interaction, Lucey says.

Lucey recounts a later meeting in March 2013 that Mann had scheduled with Weinstein in a hotel lobby. Weinstein was using a fake name to book a hotel room. He later led Mann to the room. She tried to avoid going in, but Weinstein pushed her inside, Lucey alleges.

He asked her to take off her clothes, but she refused, the prosecutor alleges. He kept pressuring her until Mann found herself on a bed, lying there while Weinstein raped her, Lucey alleges.

Later, Weinstein allegedly told Mann: "I just couldn't help myself."

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Image source, Getty Images

During the first hour of opening statements, Lucey has attempted to prep jurors about potential concerns that may arise during the accusers’ testimony.

The prosecutor has been transparent that at times, some of the women were not prepared to come forward about their story, and some of the details may be fuzzy for them as they recall a traumatic incident.

Lucey has said that during some of the alleged assaults, even if the women didn’t “kick” or run or scream, they only didn’t do so because they did not think they could safely get away.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Years later, after speaking to Weinstein from time to time, Weinstein tried to grab Sokola's breast when she was in a car with him, the prosecutor says. She told him no and got out of the car, Lucey says.

As Lucey gives her opening statement - often delivering graphic details of Weinstein’s alleged assaults - jurors look closely at the prosecutor with their arms crossed, appearing to concentrate on her words.

In another incident, Lucey alleges, Sokola had a meeting with Weinstein, where she found herself trapped in a room with the defendant. Weinstein pushed her onto the bed and forcibly performed oral sex on her, the prosecutor alleges.

During the incident, Sokola cried and said over and over "please don't do this", Lucey says. Lucey claims that after the incident, Weinstein said to the Polish model: "See, that wasn't so bad."

After the incident, Weinstein allegedly recommended her to an elite acting studio, though she struggled to land gigs and moved back to Poland.

Image source, WireImage

We are now hearing from the prosecution about Kaja Sokola. She's the third woman bringing forward sexual misconduct allegations in Weinstein's retrial - she didn't participate in the previous trial.

She alleges Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in a Manhattan hotel in 2006.

She was just 19 at the time and is reported to be the youngest accuser speaking out.

A former model, Polish-born Sokola now is an advocate, psychologist and producer.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Lucey is now introducing a second woman who has brought claims against Weinstein, Kaja Sokola, an actress and model who was born in Poland and sent to live in New York city alone when she was a teenager, Lucey says.

Her parents were focused on her becoming a modelling success.

She found her way into the acting business after promoters recruited her, with the Weinstein company later contacting her to talk about her "acting potential", Lucey says.

Sokola was later taken in a car to meet Weinstein for what she thought was a business meeting. Upon meeting her, Weinstein took her up in an elevator into an apartment with a bedroom.

Lucey says Weinstein told Sokola to “take off her shirt”.

Lucey says Sokola thought the request was just a normal part of the acting business.

Weinstein then proceeded to sexually assault her and force her to perform sexual acts on him, Lucey says. Sokola was just 16 at the time.

Since the alleged assault, Sokola has suffered from an eating disorder, substance abuse and other mental health issues, the prosecutor tells jurors.

Weinstein has been looking at his lawyers or straight ahead for most of the opening statement.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Image source, Getty Images

Prosecutor Shannon Lucey says that from the first time Haley reported that the defendant raped her, she had no plans to sue.

She didn’t even think she had the option because it happened in 2006, and it was now 2020, Lucey says.

Ultimately, before the criminal case against Weinstein was brought, Haley was awarded $475,000 for her claim that Weinstein raped her in exchange for releasing him for any civil liability, the prosecutor says.

Haley - who testified in the first Weinstein trial - does not want to do so again, Lucey says.

"It is traumatising to relive and repeat the details" of the incident, she says. "She is afraid and paranoid about the defendant's power."