Harvey Weinstein retained a new legal defense team for a potential retrial in New York, where prosecutors may take another crack at a third-degree rape charge that ended in a mistrial in June.
They include Jacob Kaplan and Marc Agnifilo, who have been representing accused killer Luigi Mangione, and Teny Geragos, who recently Sean “Diddy” Combs against charges of sex trafficking and racketeering. His previous attorneys, led by Arthur Aidala, will stay on to pursue an appeal of Weinstein’s conviction in the 2025 New York case.
That retrial – required after a New York state appeals court threw out his 2020 conviction in April of 2024 – brought criminal charges from three accusers: former “Project Runway” assistant Miriam Haley, former model Kaja Sokola and actress Jessica Mann. The 2025 jury convicted Weinstein of forcing oral sex on Haley, acquitted him of the same accusation from Sokola, and were unable to reach a verdict on the charge that he raped Mann.
Now 73, Weinstein has been held in New York since his initial 23-year sentence from the 2020 conviction on charges of criminal sexual acts and rape. Though the state appeals court vacated that sentence, he’s been held at Riker’s Island based on his 2022 conviction in California for rape and sexual assault, which is also under appeal pending resolution of the New York charges.
Weinstein’s next appearance was scheduled for Wednesday, but that was postponed until next week while his new legal team works on logistics for a potential retrial.
“With Mr. Aidala’s firm handling the appeal of the indicted count, Harvey intends to concentrate his efforts on preparing for a potential retrial of the undecided charge,” Weinstein spokesperson Juda Engelmayer told TheWrap. “Harvey believes that, after two prior trials on this matter, a recalibrated outlook and strategic approach offers the most effective path forward.”
Weinstein, an Oscar-winning producer who once wielded significant power in Hollywood, saw his career and reputation implode in 2017 after a New York Times report triggered a wave of sexual misconduct accusations from more than 100 women. The allegations played a pivotal role in igniting the #MeToo movement, which led to a global discussion about the widepread harassment and abuse of women in the workplace and was a catalyst in the taking down influential men across Hollywood and other industries.
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