First accuser takes the witness stand at Harvey Weinstein’s #MeToo retrial

By JENNIFER PELTZ and MICHAEL R SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK AP When Harvey Weinstein s landmark MeToo conviction was overturned accuser Miriam Haley was frank about her feelings about participating in a retrial I definitely don t want to truly go through that again But on Tuesday Haley became the first of the former movie tycoon s accusers to take the witness stand as prosecutors seek to convict him again Weinstein has pleaded not guilty and denies sexually assaulting anyone As Haley started what are expected to be multiple days of testimony she walked swiftly to the witness stand without looking at Weinstein The ex-studio boss sitting between his lawyers looked at her as she passed by and again when prosecutors solicited her to identify him from the stand Haley recounted the jury that when she went to meet Weinstein on the sidelines of the Cannes film festival all she longed was work But Weinstein commented on her legs inquired for a massage and when she balked solicited her to give him one she recalled Harvey Weinstein appears in state court in Manhattan as jury selection continues in his retrial on Tuesday April in New York David Dee Delgado Pool Photo via AP Did you have any interest whatsoever in the defendant Harvey Weinstein romantically or sexually prosecutor Nicole Blumberg appealed Haley No I did not and I was there to try and find work reported Haley who d been an assistant to another producer Her testimony so far closely echoes what she recounted the prior jury though she hasn t yet gotten to the July date when she has revealed Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her She recounted earlier interactions with Weinstein that alternated between being personally off-putting and professionally encouraging for her Haley noted she left the Cannes meeting crying and feeling humiliated But she accepted when Weinstein arranged a basic assistant job for her on his company s reality show Project Runway in June Miriam Haley center an accuser testifying at Harvey Weinstein s rape trial arrives to the courtroom after a break in New York Tuesday April AP Photo Seth Wenig After the roughly three-week gig ended and Haley thanked him by email Weinstein communicated that he d heard good things about her work and invited her to meet at a Manhattan hotel lobby she stated as prosecutors displayed her calendar with the meeting noted She and Weinstein talked business and he was very respectful and quite charming and talked about other promising job opportunities she recalled Were you flirty or suggesting anything sexual between you and the defendant at that meeting the prosecutor questioned Absolutely not Haley replied She commented another meeting in Weinstein s office also went pleasantly and professionally and so did a ride with him his assistant and his driver back to her apartment and then the Hollywood honcho suddenly suggested she accompany him to Paris fashion shows Haley stated she had no interest in going but gave a vague response trying to be polite They explained goodbye Yet Weinstein repeatedly required her to come to Paris with him for fashion shows even showing up uninvited and barging into her apartment to try to persuade her she stated Haley communicated jurors she again declined but Weinstein was insistent and overwhelming so she notified him I heard about your reputation with women Weinstein took a step back seeming offended and quizzed her about what she meant she recalled She advised jurors she indeed hadn t heard much about Weinstein at that point but was just trying to avoid the Paris trip Harvey Weinstein appears in state court in Manhattan as jury selection continues in his retrial on Tuesday April in New York David Dee Delgado Pool Photo via AP Eventually Weinstein left the apartment and backed off she disclosed Almost two decades later a series of sexual assault and sexual harassment statements against Weinstein would energize the MeToo movement s demands to hold powerful men accountable for misconduct toward women Haley who has also gone by the name Mimi Haleyi is expected to continue testifying Wednesday The retrial is happening because New York s highest court identified the original trial was tainted by egregious judicial rulings and prejudicial testimony The retrial includes charges based on assertions from Haley and another accuser from the original trial Jessica Mann who was once an aspiring actor She alleges that Weinstein raped her in He s also being tried for the first time on an allegation of forcing oral sex on former model Kaja Sokola in Her claim wasn t part of the first trial Mann and Sokola also are expected to testify at a few point Weinstein s attorneys have argued that all three accusers consented to sexual encounters with him in hopes of getting work in show business The Associated Press generally does not name people who allege they have been sexually assaulted unless they give permission for their names to be used Haley Mann and Sokola have done so