NEW YORK (AP) — Disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein has assembled a new defense team featuring attorneys who represent Luigi Mangione and Sean “Diddy” Combs as he prepares for his third New York rape trial.
Court documents filed Tuesday confirmed that attorneys Jacob Kaplan, Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos will now handle Weinstein’s defense. They are replacing his previous attorney Arthur Aidala, who will shift his focus to handling the former studio executive’s appeals and civil litigation matters.
Kaplan previously served on Weinstein’s original defense team in 2018 and is anticipated to play a key role in the upcoming trial. The case centers on allegations that the Oscar-winning producer sexually assaulted hairstylist and actor Jessica Mann at a Manhattan hotel in 2013.
During a January court appearance, Weinstein maintained his innocence, stating he “never assaulted anyone” and expressing that his “spirit was breaking” after spending nearly six years in prison.
The trial was originally scheduled to begin March 3 but has been delayed without a new date set. Weinstein is scheduled to appear in court March 4 for a status update. The legal team changes were first disclosed by Law360.
Kaplan and Agnifilo currently serve as defense counsel for Mangione in both state and federal proceedings related to the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The attorneys successfully had terrorism charges dismissed in the state case and prevented the death penalty from being sought in federal court.
Agnifilo and Geragos previously defended Combs, securing a mixed verdict with acquittals on sex trafficking and racketeering counts. They are currently among the legal team defending wealthy siblings Alon, Oren and Tal Alexander in their Manhattan federal sex trafficking case.
All three attorneys work as partners at the Manhattan-based firm Agnifilo Intrater.
“Harvey believes that, after two prior trials on this matter, a recalibrated outlook and strategic approach offers the most effective path forward,” stated Weinstein spokesperson Juda Engelmayer.
Last June’s retrial produced a complicated outcome: Weinstein was found guilty of forcing oral sex on Miriam Haley, cleared of similar charges involving Kaja Sokola, while jurors failed to reach a decision on the rape charge concerning Mann. The deliberation process collapsed when the jury foreman declined to continue participating.
The Associated Press typically withholds the names of alleged sexual assault victims unless they provide consent, which Haley, Sokola and Mann have all granted.
Weinstein’s legal team contended that the retrial outcome was compromised by conflicts and intimidation among jury members. However, Judge Curtis Farber, who will preside over the third trial, dismissed these claims and told Weinstein during the January hearing: “You had a fair trial.”
Weinstein’s initial 2020 trial resulted in convictions for raping Mann and sexually assaulting Haley, but New York’s top court reversed those verdicts and mandated last year’s retrial. The Court of Appeals determined that Weinstein’s case was compromised by testimony regarding accusations not directly related to the charges.
The transition between Weinstein and Aidala, who handled the appeal and represented him in both previous trials, appears to have been mutually agreed upon and cordial.
“Our work does not end here,” Aidala commented. “We will continue to advocate forcefully on his behalf in the appellate courts, where we are confident that serious legal errors will be addressed and his most significant conviction will ultimately be overturned.”
The timing of Weinstein’s trial may be influenced by his new attorneys’ busy schedules, including Mangione’s state trial set to commence June 8. Prosecutors estimate that even with only Mann as an accuser, the proceedings could extend up to five weeks.
Weinstein could receive up to 25 years in prison for his conviction on first-degree criminal sex act charges involving Haley. The pending third-degree rape charge related to Mann carries a maximum sentence of four years — less time than he has already served.
The Academy Award-winning producer has remained incarcerated since his original 2020 conviction and received an additional prison sentence in a California case that he is currently appealing.
