By Jack Queen
NEW YORK, April 21 (Reuters) - Harvey Weinstein is due to appear in a Manhattan court on Tuesday for opening statements in the disgraced movie mogul's third New York trial where he will face accusations of raping a woman.
Weinstein, 74, was a top Hollywood film producer until sexual misconduct allegations against him led to his downfall and fueled a wider social movement that encouraged women to come forward with accounts of sexual abuse by powerful men.
He has pleaded not guilty and has denied assaulting anyone or having non-consensual sex.
In the current trial before Justice Curtis Farber, jurors will again weigh whether Weinstein raped aspiring actress Jessica Mann in a Manhattan hotel room.
The trial began with jury selection last week in Manhattan state court and is expected to last about a month.
At his first trial in New York in 2020, Weinstein was convicted of raping Mann in 2013 and assaulting production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006, but the state's highest court overturned the conviction and Weinstein’s 23-year prison sentence.
A Manhattan jury then convicted Weinstein of sexually abusing Haley at a trial in June 2025, but found him not guilty of assaulting former model Kaja Sokola. The jury deadlocked on the third-degree rape charge accusing Weinstein of assaulting Mann, leading Farber to declare a mistrial on that count.
Weinstein was also convicted of rape in California in 2022, and is serving a 16-year prison sentence. He is appealing that conviction and sentence.
Prosecutors with the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg have said Weinstein used his power and influence to trap and abuse women.
Defense lawyers have countered that Weinstein's accusers lied out of spite after their consensual sexual encounters with him failed to lead to Hollywood stardom.
The Miramax studio co-founder's lawyers say his health has deteriorated rapidly while he awaits trial in New York's notorious Rikers Island jail.
Weinstein will face up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced for abusing Haley.
(Reporting by Jack Queen in New York; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
