Harvey Weinstein’s high-profile retrial on rape and sexual assault charges enters its final phase Tuesday as prosecutors and defense attorneys deliver closing arguments to the Manhattan jury. The 73-year-old disgraced film mogul, confined to a wheelchair due to deteriorating health, faces renewed allegations that he used his Hollywood influence to prey on women—claims he continues to deny.
This particular trial marks a dramatic comeback for the case that defined the #MeToo movement after New York’s highest court overturned Weinstein’s 2020 conviction last April, citing judicial errors. Despite already serving a 23-year sentence in upstate New York—and facing an additional 16 years from a separate California conviction—Weinstein now fights to avoid another potentially life-ending verdict.
The Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s team has methodically reconstructed their case, accusing Weinstein of assaulting three women—including new accuser Kaja Sokola, who testified about a 2002 Manhattan hotel attack. The prosecution maintains Weinstein lured victims with promises of career advancement before assaulting them, a pattern alleged by over 100 women since 2017.
Weinstein’s attorney Arthur Aidala has framed the encounters as transactional relationships that yielded auditions and opportunities for the accusers. The defense strategy leans heavily on undermining the credibility of witnesses, including former production assistant Miriam Haley and aspiring actress Jessica Mann—central figures in the overturned 2020 conviction.
Health Crises Shadow Trial as Weinstein Awaits Fate
Incarcerated at Rikers Island since his retrial began, Weinstein has suffered multiple medical emergencies, including emergency heart surgery in September. His visibly frail appearance throughout proceedings has contrasted sharply with his former reputation as one of Hollywood’s most feared power brokers during Miramax’s “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespeare in Love” heyday.
As jurors prepare to deliberate, the outcome carries weight beyond Weinstein as it will potentially reaffirm or weaken the legal foundations of the movement his case catalyzed. With Weinstein’s bankruptcy-filed studio and shattered reputation already cemented in history, the retrial’s conclusion may determine whether #MeToo’s landmark victory endures in court records.
