Weinstein Trial: "When it's no, it's no," says the prosecutor in her closing argument

"No means no!" the prosecutor declared on Wednesday, June 5, as she concluded her closing argument at the New York trial of former film producer Harvey Weinstein, seeking to convince the jury that the victims had indeed been "raped" by the former Hollywood king, a case that has become a symbol of the #MeToo movement.

"He raped three women, they all said so!" prosecutor Nicole Blumberg insisted, returning at length to each of the three episodes at the heart of the case to demonstrate to the jury that Harvey Weinstein had "all the power" and "all the control" over the alleged victims and that he must be found guilty.

"The accused thought the law didn't apply to him, it's time to let him know," she added, before concluding: "Tell him what he already knows: that he is guilty of all three crimes."

The defense, on the contrary, maintains that the founder and former head of Miramax Studios only had consensual sexual relations with the three accusers, as part of a "promotion couch" approach, where they sought to seduce him to break into the entertainment world. "We are not here to police the bedroom, as long as a rape doesn't take place there," the prosecutor retorted.

The defense's closing arguments and the prosecution's closing arguments concluded six weeks of proceedings Tuesday and Wednesday in this new trial of the fallen king of independent cinema, more than seven years after the start of this emblematic case of the #MeToo movement. Judge Curtis Farber indicated that he would give his instructions to the jurors this Thursday morning, June 5, the final step before they retire behind closed doors to deliberate.

In Manhattan Criminal Court, the jury will have to decide whether the fallen king of independent cinema, accused by dozens of women of being a sexual predator, was guilty of sexual assaults in 2006 on former production assistant Miriam Haley and ex-model Kaja Sokola, and of rape in 2013 on aspiring actress Jessica Mann, three women who testified openly, sometimes for several days. In all three cases, Harvey Weinstein is accused of forcing them to have sex.

The founder of Miramax Studios, producer of cult films like Pulp Fiction and hits like Shakespeare in Love , was sentenced in 2020 to 23 years in prison for the crimes against Miriam Haley and Jessica Mann, during a sensational trial which at the time symbolized a victory for the #MeToo movement against sexual violence.

But last year, the New York appeals court overturned the trial because other alleged victims were able to testify at the trial and recount assaults for which Harvey Weinstein was not charged.

The trial was therefore replayed in Manhattan Criminal Court, where the 73-year-old former producer appeared, weakened by numerous health problems, pale-skinned, and wheelchair-bound. He remains in custody due to another sex crime conviction in California.

Harvey Weinstein did not speak at his trial, which also involved a new charge of sexual assault against former Polish model Kaja Sokola, when she was 19. His lawyers, for their part, attempted throughout the proceedings to attack the credibility of the three accusers, "women who had their (career) dreams shattered" and who allegedly lied to obtain money from Harvey Weinstein, the "original sinner of the #MeToo movement," his lawyer, Arthur Aidala, quipped.

The latter particularly insisted on the fact that the victims all continued to associate with Harvey Weinstein after the violence of which they accuse him.

"They knew they had to stay on his side" and preferred to "bury their trauma" to avoid reprisals from an all-powerful man in Hollywood, explained prosecutor Nicole Blumberg. But when, in October 2017, investigations by the New York Times and The New Yorker revealed that numerous women were accusing him, "they were no longer alone," she added.