Harvey Weinstein appears for his retrial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 29, 2025 in New York City. Weinstein faces a retrial on rape and sex assault charges.
As Harvey Weinstein’s highly watched trial on rape and sexual assault charges approaches its conclusion, his legal team faces a pivotal decision whether to place the disgraced film producer on the witness stand. Arthur Aidala, Weinstein’s attorney, shared outside the Manhattan courtroom on Thursday that they are actively considering having Weinstein testify, a choice that could dramatically shift the momentum of the trial.
In prior legal proceedings, including his 2020 trial in New York and a later case in California, Weinstein opted not to testify. This time, however, the decision remains firmly in his hands. Aidala noted that the team spent Memorial Day weekend preparing Weinstein should he choose to speak. “He is seriously thinking about whether the jury needs to hear directly from him in this kind of he said she said case,” Aidala explained.
The consideration comes on the heels of Weinstein’s appearance on a conservative podcast hosted by Candace Owens, where he passionately asserted his innocence. The interview, released just last week, added fresh attention to an already intense courtroom saga.
According to Aidala, Weinstein is feeling optimistic about the trial’s direction. “He believes the prosecution’s case has been thoroughly challenged, and that many of the claims have lost their strength,” he said.
This latest trial began on April 23 with emotional opening arguments. Weinstein faces renewed charges brought by three women: Miriam Haley, a former production assistant on Project Runway, who says he forced oral sex on her in 2006; Jessica Mann, an aspiring actress who alleges she was raped in a Manhattan hotel in 2013; and Kaja Sokola, who recently came forward with claims of a similar assault from 2006.
All three women have testified in recent weeks, directly confronting Weinstein in court. The prosecution rested its case on Wednesday, and the defense immediately began its rebuttal, including testimony from medical professionals regarding Weinstein’s use of erectile dysfunction medication, which had been raised during cross-examinations.
A surprising twist came Thursday when Helga Rose Samuelson, Sokola’s former roommate, testified about Weinstein visiting their apartment and entering Sokola’s bedroom a detail Sokola had previously denied.
Adding more intrigue, the defense floated the idea of calling Candace Owens to the stand, suggesting she may have had communications with Mann about her alleged encounter with Weinstein. Aidala raised this point during Mann’s cross-examination, but the judge ruled it inadmissible due to a lack of evidence.
Judge Curtis Farber, who presides over the trial, noted that any intention to call Owens as a witness must be submitted formally. Aidala later said this is unlikely, citing Owens’s recent childbirth and the lack of crucial material in her interaction with Mann. “I don’t plan on disturbing Ms Owens,” he said, instead turning the focus to two other witnesses scheduled to testify on Friday to challenge Mann’s credibility.
The defense also issued a subpoena for attorney Gloria Allred, who represents Haley, but has not moved aggressively to enforce it.
Whether Weinstein will testify remains an open question. If he chooses not to, the trial is expected to move into closing arguments on Tuesday.
