Harvey Weinstein’s lawyers get their turn to question accuser Miriam Haley at #MeToo retrial
Share and Follow


NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein ’s lawyers got their turn Thursday to question a woman who alleges the one-time Hollywood heavyweight held her down and forced oral sex on her nearly two decades ago.

Miriam Haley, testifying for a third day at Weinstein’s rape retrial, was grilled about everything from her initial interactions with the ex-studio boss to her decision to get a lawyer and go public with her allegations as the #MeToo movement exploded in October 2017.

Defense lawyer Jennifer Bonjean quizzed Haley about why she stayed in touch with Weinstein after she rejected his sexual advances during a meeting in his hotel room at the Cannes Film Festival in France a few months before the alleged assault.

Haley, now 48, said she “found it humiliating” when Weinstein commented about her legs and suggested they give each other massages, but ultimately shrugged it off because she wanted his help getting work in show business.

“You understood these were sexual overtures?” Bonjean asked.

Haley said she did.

“You rebuffed them, and he still gave you his phone number, right?”

“Yes,” Haley said.

Bonjean also sparred with the witness over statements she gave to the press when she went public in 2017, getting Haley to admit that she didn’t give a full picture of her interactions with Weinstein.

She denied Bonjean’s suggestion that she spoke out in hopes of suing Weinstein, but acknowledged later filing a lawsuit and receiving a settlement of about $475,000.

Weinstein, 73, has pleaded not guilty and denies sexually assaulting anyone. His lawyers argue that all of his accusers consented to sexual encounters in hopes of getting work in show business.

Haley, the first of three accusers expected to testify, said Wednesday that she maintained contact with Weinstein for more than a year after she says he assaulted her at his Manhattan apartment in July 2006.

Haley testified that she flew to Los Angeles on Weinstein’s dime the next day, and a few weeks later agreed to meet him at a Manhattan hotel. She said she had expected to talk in the lobby, but was instead directed to his room, where she says she had unwanted, but not forced, sex with him.

Even after that, Haley testified, she kept in touch, sometimes sending emails signed “Lots of love” to Weinstein and his assistant. She insisted she was pursuing professional opportunities and was never interested in a romantic or sexual relationship with him.

Bonjean pointed out Thursday that when Haley went public, she didn’t mention her subsequent sexual encounter with Weinstein, nor their continued contact.

“You told the press only part of the story, correct?” Bonjean asked.

“I told the part that was relevant to what I was trying to share,” Haley said.

Bonjean noted that Haley didn’t go to police until June 2018, but held a press conference with lawyer Gloria Allred just days after she saw media reports about other allegations against Weinstein.

Bonjean will step away from Weinstein’s defense team after she finishes questioning Haley. She has another case going to trial next week.

On Wednesday, under questioning by a prosecutor, Haley testified that Weinstein assaulted her after inviting her to his apartment for a friendly, professional meeting. She said he pushed her onto a bed, ignoring her pleas of: “No, no — it’s not going to happen.”

Afterward, she felt shocked and disgusted. She and two friends testified that she told them Weinstein had sexually assaulted her soon after.

Haley, who has also gone by the name Mimi Haleyi, is the first of Weinstein’s accusers to testify at the retrial. She is reprising and adding some new details to testimony that led to Weinstein’s since-overturned 2020 conviction.

Haley, briefly a production assistant on the Weinstein-produced “Project Runway,” said she had a series of interactions with him that were sometimes inappropriate and suggestive, but other times professional and polite, she told jurors.

Focusing on the Cannes meeting, Bonjean pressed Haley on what to make of the fact that, although she had little show business experience, she had secured a meeting with a top producer.

“So, as somebody in my position, I should have turned it down, is what you’re saying?” Haley shot back.

“I’m not saying you should have done anything,” Bonjean replied.

Weinstein’s retrial includes charges related to Haley and another accuser from the original trial, Jessica Mann, who alleges Weinstein raped her in 2013. He’s also being tried, for the first time, for allegedly forcing oral sex on former model Kaja Sokola in 2006.

Mann and Sokola also are expected to testify.

The Associated Press generally does not name people who allege they’ve been sexually assaulted unless they give permission for their names to be used. Haley, Mann and Sokola have done so.

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Time to take on Obamacare, Dems’ cruel food-stamp game and other commentary

Debate Heats Up Over Obamacare and Food Stamp Policies: A Critical Look at Democratic Strategies

Health beat: Time To Take on Obamacare The Wall Street Journal editorial…
NYC Gambino family mobster tied to alleged rigged NBA poker scheme denied bail over witness tampering fears

Explosive NBA Poker Scandal: NYC Mobster Linked to Gambino Family Denied Bail Amid Witness Tampering Concerns

A reputed mobster with alleged ties to a card game rigging scandal…
Moon landing astronaut Buzz Aldrin loses wife, two years after wedding

Astronaut Buzz Aldrin Mourns the Loss of His Wife, Two Years into Marriage

Dr. Anca Aldrin, wife of famed astronaut Buzz Aldrin, has passed away…
Axed CNN anchor Don Lemon BLASTED for saying Megyn Kelly looks 'trans'

Former CNN Anchor Don Lemon Criticized for Remarks About Megyn Kelly’s Appearance

Don Lemon is under intense scrutiny following controversial remarks about Megyn Kelly’s…
Bloody blue city crime wave shatters college homecoming in one of year’s most violent stretches: report

Stunning Surge in Crime: Blue City College Homecoming Marred by Unprecedented Violence

In a particularly violent weekend, the nation’s capital witnessed a surge in…
Check your tickets: Numbers drawn for Tuesday's $714M Mega Millions jackpot

Winning Numbers Revealed for Tuesday’s $714 Million Mega Millions Jackpot – Check Your Tickets Now!

For the ninth time in its history, the Mega Millions jackpot has…
Illinois lawmakers could take up RTA funding bill in veto session in Springfield as transit agency faces fiscal cliff

Illinois Legislators to Address RTA Funding Bill During Springfield Veto Session Amid Imminent Fiscal Challenges

The legislative session in Springfield has begun, with a significant focus on…
Hollywood producer sentenced in women's deaths also accused of rape by hero officer who died helping others

Hollywood Producer Faces New Rape Allegations from Late Hero Officer Amid Sentencing for Women’s Deaths

A Hollywood producer was sentenced on Wednesday for his involvement in the…