April 22 (UPI) — Harvey Weinstein‘s retrial for sexual assault and rape will move forward with opening statements this week in New York after a majority-female jury was seated Tuesday.
The jury of seven women and five men is scheduled to hear opening statements Wednesday. It is the first time Weinstein, 73, will face a jury of more women than men as he is tried a second time. New York’s Court of Appeals overturned his 2020 conviction and 23-year prison sentence last year due to improper testimony and rulings.
The former movie producer, whose trials and accusations of sexual assault sparked the #MeToo movement, is also appealing a 2022 rape conviction and 16-year prison sentence in Los Angeles.
Over the past week, the jury at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York City was chosen from a pool of approximately 70 jurors, who were informed they were there for Weinstein’s retrial. Those who reacted or held strong opinions were quickly dismissed by prosecutors and defense attorneys, including one man who thought the #MeToo movement had gone too far and a woman who believed the movement had not gone far enough.
Weinstein currently remains under guard at Bellevue Hospital after he was recently transferred from Rikers Island, where his lawyers claimed the harsh conditions were impacting his health. He will remain there for the duration of the trial, which is expected to last for several weeks.
During his retrial, Weinstein will face two of the same accusers, Jessica Mann and Mimi Haley, from his first trial. A new charge, based on accusations from an unnamed woman about a sexual assault in 2006, has been added to the new trial. In all, Weinstein will face two counts of first-degree criminal sexual act and one count of third-degree rape.
Weinstein, a former Miramax chief and one of the most influential movie moguls, has said he is innocent and claims all of the interactions were consensual.
“We are hopeful that this time, the legal process will rise above noise and narrative, and allow Harvey Weinstein the fair trial he’s long been denied,” Weinstein’s rep Juda Engelmayer told Deadline on Tuesday, after the jury was seated. “He deserves the chance to clear his name and preserve a legacy that has been overshadowed by deeply flawed and misleading accusations.”
“I’m holding on because I want justice for myself,” Weinstein said. “I want this to be over.”