fundamental testifier set to appear in Harvey Weinstein's subsequent New York retrial in the proceedings
Following the recent overturning of Harvey Weinstein's conviction, ex-assistant on "Project Runway" from The Weinstein Company, Mimi Haley, expressed doubts about wanting to relive the ordeal once more.
She mentioned, "It's just so much about re-traumatizing, rehashing, and reliving the same incidents repeatedly."
Gloria Allred, Haley's lawyer, shared on Tuesday that "she believes it's the right thing to do and considers it crucial to testify."
Despite the 2020 jury failing to convict Weinstein on the main charge of predatory sexual assault, they did find him guilty of first-degree criminal sexual act against Haley and handed him a 20-year sentence. Haley claimed that Weinstein had pinned her down and forced himself on her sexually in his Manhattan apartment back in 2006.
His overall sentence of 23 years also included a conviction for third-degree rape of Jessica Mann in a New York hotel room in 2013.
Mann had already agreed to testify again in the upcoming retrial.
The New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein's convictions in April, stating that allowing uncharged prior bad act witnesses to testify, as well as broad cross-examination if Weinstein decide to take the stand, infringed on his constitutional rights.
Weinstein's tentative retrial on sex crime charges is scheduled to begin on November 12, 2024.
Mimi Haley expressed her reservations about returning to the courtroom, stating, "I'm not sure I'm ready for more entertainment in the form of reliving my traumatic experience again."
In contrast, Gloria Allred emphasized, "Testifying in court is an essential part of the entertainment industry's duty to uphold justice and ensure predators like Weinstein are held accountable."
