New Harvey Weinstein trial could feature new accusers after court vacated conviction

New York prosecutors said in court on Wednesday that more Harvey Weinstein accusers will be allowed to testify during his retrial in Manhattan this fall. This comes after the New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction last month, arguing that the trial judge had erred by accepting testimony from women who did not file the complaint against him.

Manhattan's Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg told Judge Curtis Farber that "some people who were not ready to speak out in 2020" will have the opportunity to do so in the retrial, which is expected to occur after Labor Day, per Variety. Blumberg requested that Weinstein's attorney, Arthur Aidala, abstain from making any public remarks concerning witnesses that would scare or dissuade them from appearing before Judge Farber. 

Last Monday, the prosecution claimed Aidala threatened to severely cross-examine Miriam Haley, who had accused Weinstein of sexually abusing her if she "dares to come and show her face here." Aidala expressed regret surrounding his comments but asserted that he had a responsibility to stand up for Weinstein.

Aidala objected that the term "survivors" used by the prosecution to refer to the new women who testify is "conclusionary." Judge Farber upheld the objection, cautioning the parties not to be swayed by the media and promising a retrial that will be "free from the court of public opinion."

Weinstein, a former major Hollywood movie producer, has his next hearing scheduled on July 9.

In a 4-3 ruling on April 25, the highest court in New York declared that the judge in Weinstein's 2020 trial had permitted an excessive number of women to testify regarding charges that were not part of the case. Weinstein's 23-year sentence in New York was overturned, but he is still being held because of his conviction in Los Angeles, where he was found guilty of sexual assault in 2022 and given a 16-year jail sentence. Since Weinstein turned down the request for extradition to move him to California, he will stay in New York until his retrial.