Rape retrial hears Weinstein ‘preyed’ on aspiring US actress

The trial is set to demonstrate the power dynamics of the movie industry, particularly for young women, as well as the complexities of rape trials.

In a bid to clarify Mann’s relationship with Weinstein, the prosecution said it will call a forensic psychologist to explain the sometimes “counterintuitive behavior” of sexual assault victims.

Weinstein is already serving a 16-year prison term in a California case for the rape of a European actress more than a decade ago. 

He is appealing that conviction, and another from the trial in June.

Before their foreperson quit, the jury convicted Weinstein of sexual assault against movie producer Miriam Haley and acquitted him of the same alleged crime against Polish-born actress Kaja Sokola.

Weinstein has hired a new legal team including Marc Agnifilo, who represents high profile figures including rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs.

The Oscar-winning Weinstein has claimed to be under threat at the notorious Rikers Island jail complex in the Bronx where he is being held, leaving him mostly in solitary confinement.

“I’m constantly threatened and derided. I wouldn’t last long out there,” he told the Hollywood Reporter at the start of the year.

Weinstein was known for his fiery temper, and the industry had long been rife with suggestions that he took advantage of his power to sexually exploit women.

In 2017, blockbuster investigations by the New Yorker and the New York Times laid bare a series of claims by young women that triggered an avalanche of allegations from more than 80 complainants and prompted the global MeToo movement.