Editor’s Note: This story contains discussions of rape or sexual assault that may be disturbing. Reader discretion is advised. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can find help and discreet resources on the National Sexual Assault Hotline website or by calling 1-800-656-4673.
(NewsNation) — Former film mogul Harvey Weinstein is again on trial for allegedly sexually assaulting three women.
In 2020, Weinstein was convicted of two felony sex crimes in New York, and in 2022, he was convicted of three felony sex crimes in California.
The trial comes after an appeals court overturned his previous conviction in New York on the grounds that a judge improperly allowed testimony from several witnesses who described alleged sexual misconduct not included in the indictment.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office announced it would retry Weinstein on the two charges and added an additional indictment not included in the first trial.
Witnesses are expected to include two accusers from the previous trial, actress Jessica Mann and producer Miriam Haley (who also used the last name Haleyi), and an additional accuser who says Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex in a hotel in 2006.
Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has been held at Rikers Island while awaiting trial, though he has had multiple stays at Bellevue Hospital.
The 73-year-old producer has been undergoing treatment for bone marrow cancer and had emergency heart surgery last year. At a recent hearing, he was using a wheelchair but appeared alert.
Jury selection could last several days. The judge is expected to ask potential jurors if they are aware of the allegations and whether they can set aside their own impressions of the case to reach a fair decision based on evidence.
The cases against Weinstein began after media outlets broke the story of his alleged misconduct and named multiple women who spoke out against him. The allegations served as a catalyst for the #MeToo movement, in which women shared stories of sexual harassment, abuse and assault.
Weinstein has been accused by dozens of women, including prominent figures such as Asia Argento, Rose McGowan, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Salma Hayek, Lena Headey, Paris Hilton, Mira Sorvino and Ashley Judd.
He was blacklisted from the film company he helped found with his brother, which later went bankrupt.
Weinstein has also appealed his conviction in California.