NEW YORK — Defense attorneys for Harvey Weinstein conducted cross-examination of his accuser during his rape retrial on Thursday, signaling their intention to scrutinize her complicated emotions and intricate relationship with the former entertainment industry mogul.
This marks the third occasion that Jessica Mann has faced questioning from Weinstein’s legal team in a New York courtroom. However, new attorneys are now representing the former studio executive whose fall from grace became a catalyst for the #MeToo movement addressing sexual misconduct. Whether their questioning will reach the emotional intensity of Mann’s previous cross-examinations remains uncertain.
Defense attorney Teny Geragos initiated her questioning of Mann on Wednesday by focusing on her mixed emotions regarding Weinstein throughout their complicated relationship, which included some consensual intimate encounters.
During earlier testimony under prosecution questioning, Mann revealed that despite the alleged assault, she had feelings of love for “a part of him” due to his kindness and support regarding her personal challenges and career aspirations, describing their relationship as having “some pretty human moments.”
“What did he do for you that made parts of you really love him?” Geragos inquired.
“It was the validation,” Mann responded.
When Geragos continued questioning about the “human moments,” Mann described an incident where she struck Weinstein, believing he wanted it as part of intimate play, but he subsequently told her, “Jess, that’s not you.”
“So when you were talking about the validation that you received … and the human moments that you shared with Harvey, it was that you slapped him?” Geragos pressed.
Mann clarified she was actually referring to his comment that “that’s not you.”
The court session ended shortly thereafter. When proceedings resumed Thursday, Geragos continued examining Mann about her initial encounters with Weinstein.
The 73-year-old Weinstein is facing his third trial on charges alleging he sexually assaulted Mann at a New York hotel in March 2013. While he received a conviction in 2020, an appellate court reversed that decision. His first retrial ended with a hung jury on the rape charge.
Mann also claims Weinstein assaulted her again in Beverly Hills, California, in late 2013 or early 2014. No criminal charges have been filed related to that allegation.
“He just treated me like he owned me,” she testified to jurors this week.
The 40-year-old Mann admits she sometimes accepted his sexual advances but maintains the two assaults occurred while she objected and begged him to stop.
Weinstein’s legal team argues that all interactions between the pair were consensual and part of a supportive, caring relationship. They contend Mann gained advantages from her association with an Academy Award-winning producer and only made accusations later during the #MeToo movement of 2017 and 2018.
Mann first encountered Weinstein at a Los Angeles-area gathering around early 2013. She was working as a financially struggling hairstylist and actress hoping to succeed in entertainment.
The married Weinstein invited her to a bookstore, purchasing movie-related books for her. Soon after, he took her to dinner at a Beverly Hills hotel.
“From your perspective in 2013, going to dinner with another man who’s older than you can imply certain ideas, like a date, correct?” Geragos questioned.
Mann said she hadn’t considered it a romantic encounter. Since his assistant arranged the dinner, it appeared “somewhat professional,” she testified.
Following the meal, Weinstein invited her to his hotel suite, where Mann said he pressured her to remove her shirt and allow him to massage her. She testified that she massaged his back instead to “de-escalate” the situation.
Geragos suggested Mann could have simply exited the room.
“In theory. Because I could have done a lot of things,” Mann answered.
The alleged assault occurred weeks following the dinner meeting.
The Associated Press typically does not identify individuals who report sexual assault, unless they consent to being named, as Mann has chosen to do.
