A key witness from the original trial of Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced Hollywood producer, announced on Tuesday that she will testify in his upcoming retrial on criminal charges. Mimi Haley, who was a production assistant on “Project Runway” at The Weinstein Company, shared her initial hesitation about reliving the grueling experience following the overturning of Weinstein’s conviction earlier this year.
“It involves so much retraumatizing and rehashing and reliving over and over again,” Haley remarked, reflecting on the emotional toll of returning to the courtroom.
Haley’s attorney, Gloria Allred, confirmed her decision to testify, stating, “(Haley) believes that it is the right thing to do and that it is important that she testifies.”
During the 2020 trial, although Weinstein was acquitted on the primary charge of predatory sexual assault, the jury found him guilty of first-degree criminal sexual act against Haley. He was subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison after she accused him of pinning her down and forcing her into a sex act at his Manhattan apartment in 2006.
Weinstein’s total sentence of 23 years also accounted for a conviction related to the rape of Jessica Mann in a New York hotel room in 2013. Mann has already agreed to testify in the retrial as well.
In April, the New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein’s convictions, citing violations of his constitutional rights associated with testimony from uncharged witnesses and extensive cross-examination possibilities if he chose to take the stand.
Weinstein’s retrial is presently scheduled to commence on November 12, and this case is one of two faced by the producer in a New York court. Last week, prosecutors confirmed that he was indicted in Manhattan in relation to new sexual assault allegations.
The 72-year-old Weinstein did not attend Thursday’s hearing due to health concerns. His attorney, Arthur Aidala, reported that he was recovering from an emergency procedure on his heart and lungs and had been in the intensive care unit at Bellevue Hospital until last Wednesday.
A follow-up hearing regarding Weinstein’s health is scheduled for Wednesday. If deemed medically fit, he is expected to be arraigned on the new indictment. Meanwhile, he remains incarcerated while appealing a separate conviction from 2022 in Los Angeles, where he was found guilty on three sexual assault charges and sentenced to 16 years in prison.
