Miriam Haley, centre, an accuser testifying at Harvey Weinstein’s trial, arrives to the New York courtroom after a break on April 29.Seth Wenig/The Canadian Press
A former TV production assistant resumed testifying Wednesday at Harvey Weinstein’s retrial, elaborating on the weeks leading up to the July, 2006, date when he allegedly forced oral sex on her.
Miriam Haley is the first of the ex-Hollywood honcho’s accusers to testify at the retrial, which is happening because New York’s highest court overturned Weinstein’s 2020 conviction. The 73-year-old former studio boss has pleaded not guilty and denies sexually assaulting anyone.
Haley testified at the original trial and was candid last year about her mixed feelings about repeating the experience.
Weinstein’s attorneys haven’t yet had their chance to question her and potentially try to poke holes in her account. But the defence has sought vigorously – if often unsuccessfully – to rein in the scope of Haley’s testimony by objecting to prosecutors’ questions, such as multiple queries about whether she had any sexual interest in Weinstein. Haley said she did not.
The defence has argued that all of Weinstein’s accusers consented to sexual encounters with him in hopes of getting work in show business.
Haley began her testimony Tuesday by describing how she got to know Weinstein, briefly worked as a production assistant on his company’s reality show “Project Runway” in June, 2006, and had a series of interactions with him that were sometimes inappropriate and suggestive, but other times professional and polite.
Throughout, Haley said, she was only looking for professional opportunity – not sex or romance – with the then-powerful producer of such Oscar winners as “Shakespeare in Love” and “Gangs of New York.”
Haley, who has also gone by the name Mimi Haleyi, hasn’t yet delved into the alleged sexual assault that underlies one of the charges against Weinstein.
Weinstein’s retrial includes charges based on allegations from Haley and another accuser from the original trial, Jessica Mann, who was once an aspiring actor. She alleges that Weinstein raped her in 2013.
He’s also being tried, for the first time, on an allegation of forcing oral sex on former model Kaja Sokola in 2006. Her claim wasn’t part of the first trial.
Mann and Sokola also are expected to testify at some point.
The Associated Press generally does not name people who allege they have been sexually assaulted unless they give permission for their names to be used. Haley, Mann and Sokola have done so.
