Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Later, Haley ended up doing production work for Weinstein, who frequently pressured her to go on trips with him and have a personal relationship with him, Lucey alleges.

One day, on 10 July, 2006, Weinstein sent a car to pick Haley up and take her to a giant apartment in New York City, where Weinstein was sitting, the prosecutor alleges. “The defendant’s demeanour changed dramatically,” Lucey says.

He began to “kiss and grope her”, despite Haley’s frequent attempts to reject him, the prosecutor alleges. The assistant district attorney says Weinstein pushed Haley onto a bed and climbed on top of her, despite her continued pleas for him to stop. Weinstein was three times the size of Haley, who did not think she could safely get away, the prosecutor says.

Ultimately, the prosecutor claims, Haley decided to "check out" - and the last thing she remembers is hailing a cab to go home.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Image source, Getty Images

Prosecutors are now introducing the women who have made the accusations against Weinstein to the jury.

The first is Miriam Haley, who goes by Mimi. She's a former production assistant. She had a tough childhood, the assistant district attorney says, adding that her stepfather was physically abusive to her and her mother.

The assistant district attorney, Shannon Lucey, shows a photo of Miriam as she discusses the woman's first encounters with Weinstein - a business meeting with him at his hotel, where prosecutors allege Weinstein asked Haley for a massage.

The prosecutor says Haley left quickly and upset.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

The judge has concluded his instructions to jurors and opening statements are now beginning.

We are first hearing from the assistant district attorney, who starts her statement with quotes that accusers have alleged Weinstein said.

"I couldn't resist. I couldn't help it," the assistant district attorney says, allegedly quoting Weinstein. "I do not take no for an answer."

The prosecutor calls Weinstein a "Hollywood gatekeeper" who held "unfettered power for over 30 years in that industry". She notes that the case will centre on the claims of three women who accuse Weinstein of sexual abuse and harassment.

"The defendant wanted their bodies, and the more they resisted, the more forceful he got," she says.

Weinstein glances over at the prosecutor as she delivers her statement close to the jury box.

Image source, EPA

The retrial of Harvey Weinstein has begun - opening statements are now being read out.

Up first is the prosecution.

Stay tuned, we will bring you key details from their statements right here.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

The 12 jurors may be surprised to be seated on a panel in the high-profile trial of a former film mogul, but they can't tell anybody about what they will be doing each day, the judge explains.

Jurors can tell their friends and family they are a juror, but not in what case. They can't research the case or read news about it. They can't communicate with anyone about the case face-to-face, online, over text or in any form.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

The judge's instructions continue, as he explains the main responsibility jurors will have in this case: deciding whether Weinstein is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

"The defendant is not required to prove that he is not guilty," Judge Farber says. "The people have the burden of proving the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."

The judge explains that reasonable doubt is "an honest doubt" of the defendant's guilt based on the nature and quality of the evidence.

The jury can't find Weinstein guilty just because they "probably" think he is, but prosecutors also don't need to prove the defendant is guilty without "any" doubts at all, Judge Farber explains.

"You should be guided solely by a full and fair evaluation of the evidence," he says.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

The 12 jurors and six alternates have just entered the room. The judge begins by telling jurors that they need to arrive on time, as we are starting proceedings an hour late with a "tight schedule" and "witnesses lined up".

The judge is now beginning to instruct jurors on their duties before lawyers begin opening statements.

Judge Curtis Farber tells jurors that opening statements are not evidence - but just a "preview" of what prosecutors expect the evidence will show.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Image source, Reuters

Court should be getting started momentarily, as Harvey Weinstein has just been taken into the courtroom in a wheelchair and has taken his spot at the front of the room.

Weinstein is being held at a hospital in Manhattan during his trial due to his poor health.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is here too, and Weinstein's lawyer Arthur Aidala has come over to shake his hand before proceedings begin.

Photographers are now in the room taking pictures of Weinstein, who is seated by his lawyers.

We're getting a late start because only 11 jurors showed up on time.

Harvey Weinstein has entered the courtroom in New York, ahead of today's proceedings.

The trial will begin soon - stay with us as we bring you the latest.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from New York

The former Hollywood producer will make his way to the courthouse today from Bellevue Hospital, instead of Rikers Island prison.

His team had filed an emergency request for the transfer, citing his health.

The 73-year-old has several medical conditions including cancer and diabetes, and his lawyers say he is taking as many as 19 different medications.

I was in court in January when Weinstein begged the judge to move his trial up, claiming he might not live much longer. He also complained that Rikers was a "hellhole" and that he was receiving substandard medical treatment in unhygienic conditions there.

Nevertheless, each time he's been wheeled into the courtroom and spoken with his lawyers, there's been no suggestion that he isn't able to fully participate in his retrial.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Today marks Weinstein's third trial in five years - one in New York, one in Los Angeles, and now, a New York retrial.

In this case, Weinstein is accused of sexually abusing a former television production assistant, an aspiring actress and an unnamed woman who was not involved in the first trial.

The court is likely to hear again from actress Jessica Mann and TV production assistant, Miriam Haley, who testified in Weinstein's first New York trial.

The unnamed woman alleges Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in a Manhattan hotel in 2006. The former film mogul has pleaded not guilty.

Image source, Getty Images

The #MeToo movement is a social movement that gained prominence in 2017 and highlighted women's experiences of sexual abuse. Activist Tarana Burke had used the phrase several years earlier to detail her own experience of sexual assault.

Weinstein's high-profile accusers, including actress Ashley Judd, helped popularise the term after the New York Times published an investigation in which several women in Hollywood accused him of sexual assault.

That investigation earned reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor a Pulitzer Prize for public service, spawned a best selling book and a feature film.

Read more about MeToo's founder Burke.

The differences between this trial and the lastpublished at 14:59 British Summer Time

14:59 BST

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from New York

Image source, Getty Images

There are a few key differences between Harvey Weinstein's first New York trial and this retrial.

Along with the two original accusers, Jessica Mann and Miriam Haley, the court will hear from another alleged victim who has never been publicly identified.

She accuses Weinstein of forcibly performing oral sex on her in a Manhattan hotel in 2006.

But other women, such as the Sopranos actor Mira Sorvino, won't be testifying this time. She was one of the so called “Molineux" witnesses who gave evidence of the disgraced movie executive's "prior bad acts" but wasn't named in the criminal charges.

The court of appeals, which overturned his landmark 2020 rape conviction, found their testimony was improperly allowed and therefore Weinstein did not get a fair trial. The jury this time is majority female, but the defence seems more confident than five years ago.

Then, a staggering number of women accused Weinstein of sexual harassment and abuse, propelling the #MeToo movement. Protestors filled the streets outside the courthouse and his conviction was ultimately seen as a long-overdue reckoning and watershed moment.

Since then, the #MeToo movement has faced setbacks.

Now, we wait to see whether this jury will reach the same conclusions as the first.

The disgraced film producer faced dozens of allegations of sexual misconduct against him by the time of the first trial, in New York in 2020.

Prosecutors spent the trial describing Weinstein as a man guilty of a "lifetime of abuse" towards women and a man with a "lack of remorse" for his actions.

Weinstein said he had "deep remorse" but described him and other men as "totally confused", in comments seen as critical to the #MeToo movement.

Ultimately, Weinstein was found guilty of committing a first-degree criminal sexual act against production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006 and of the third-degree rape of aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013.

The jury in the case acquitted him of predatory sexual assault. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison, but the sentence was voided when the conviction was overturned.

He also pleaded not guilty during that trial.

In short, the court voided Harvey Weinstein's first sentence because the appeals court deemed that he did not receive a fair trial.

The New York State Court of Appeals found the trial judge allowed testimony about sexual misconduct against Weinstein that wasn’t related to the charges at hand.

In the April 2024 ruling, the appeals court said that the trial "erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes".

This meant Weinstein didn’t receive a fair trial, the judge ruled, and the conviction was overturned.

The conviction that was overturned in New York involved two women.

Weinstein was found guilty of rape and sexual assault against actress Jessica Mann and the TV production assistant, Miriam Haley. These are the charges on which he is now being retried.

This time, he faces a third, new charge. The trial will also involve an unnamed woman who alleges Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in a Manhattan hotel in 2006.

He has pleaded not guilty.

In total, Weinstein has been accused of sexual misconduct, assault and rape by over 100 women.

Image source, Reuters

Speaking to the media outside the court just a few minutes ago, Weinstein's lawyer Imran Ansari says they feel confident going into the trial today, and they are "going in strong".

"We're hoping that Mr Weinstein is going to get a fair trial this time," he tells reporters.

He adds that Weinstein has always denied the charges against him.

On the new charge from an unnamed woman, they are "not concerned", he explains.

Instead, they look forward to "Harvey getting his day in court".

They also say that Weinstein's health is not good. He is currently being held in the Bellevue Hospital until at least tomorrow, Ansari explains.

Weinstein has suffered "tremendously" in detention on Rikers Island and the lawyers want the judge to order he can remain in hospital instead of prison for the duration of the trial.

Weinstein's state of mind is "committed to trying to clear his name in light of these allegations", Ansari explains.

Madeline Halpert
Reporting from court

Good morning from New York court. We've just been seated in the room where disgraced Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein's retrial is set to begin today.

Last week, the court weeded through dozens of potential jurors to find a panel of seven women and five men - as well as six alternates - to weigh Weinstein's fate.

A court of appeals overturned Weinstein's previous conviction for sex crimes in New York last April, before he was indicted on new sexual assault charges in the state in September.

Court is expected to begin at 10:00 EDT (15:00 BST) with opening statements from Weinstein's lawyers and prosecutors.

Weinstein is the subject of dozens of allegations of sexual misconduct.

The overturned New York trial hinged on whether Weinstein sexually assaulted a former production assistant and raped an aspiring actress between 2006 and 2013.

Separately, Weinstein faces two charges of indecent assault in the UK, and was sentenced in California in 2023 to 16 years for a conviction of raping a model and an actress in 2013.

The conviction in California still stands - Weinstein's retrial is only for this New York case.

Image source, Getty Images

Harvey Weinstein is one of Hollywood’s most famous producers.

He and his brother, Bob Weinstein, founded Miramax Films Corporation in 1979. Among the films produced by the company are Pulp Fiction and Shakespeare in Love. They later founded the Weinstein Company.

Weinstein had tremendous success, with films produced by his companies receiving more than 300 Oscar nominations and 81 statuettes.

A New York Times investigation in 2017 brought the Weinstein empire crashing down when the newspaper published an investigation detailing the producer’s history of sexual misconduct.

In the years that followed, Weinstein was sued multiple times and charges were brought against him in multiple jurisdictions.

More than 80 women have made allegations of rape, sexual assault or sexual misconduct since the New York Times story was published.

In 2020, he was convicted of rape in New York, and in 2022 he was convicted of rape and sexual assault in California. Four years after he was convicted in New York, the sentence was overturned. Weinstein has denied any wrongdoing.

His California conviction still stands.