With the staggering number of accusations of sexual misconduct made against Harvey Weinstein, it seems highly unlikely that his trials work out in his favor. However, he is putting up a fight whenever he can in hopes that the legal system won't totally crush him. We reported that Gigi Hadid was dismissed from jury duty for Weinstein's case due to her personal affiliation with Cara Delevigne, who was one of the many women to come forward with an account of Weinstein's predatory behaviour. However, there are more jurors that Weinstein and his team believe could interfere with a fair trial.
On Friday, the disgraced film producer demanded a mistrial over a newly-chosen juror in his Manhattan Supreme Court case. According to NY Daily News, Weinstein's legal team is arguing that the juror's upcoming novel deals with topics that could compromise her impartiality during the trial. The novel allegedly focuses on the relationships between three teenage girls and predatory older men, a storyline that allows for connections to be drawn to Weinstein's supposed transgressions. Manhattan Assistant D.A. Joan Illuzzi objected to the claims of mistrial, arguing that the defense was “systematically eliminating a class of people from this jury” — white women.
According to TMZ, Weinstein's legal team has gathered some evidence that two "stealth jurors" have been selected, who should be removed from the twelve-person panel. Legal documents filed by Weinstein's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, cite instances of social media activity that should call into question the prospective jurors' biases. One wrote, "Goodbye Jury Duty. And goodbye Harvey Weinstein. I hope they convict you on all counts...I was told not to talk about the trial if I was a juror... I don't know if it's my past as a lawyer or my past at Disney but I'm free for the next 4 years- unlike Harvey!" The other wrote on Facebook, "Ok that was my time on the Weinstein case. Do I get paid? I don't get up before 5 for free. Harvey you cant [sic] act for sh*t with that walker you made it look like a prize on The Price is Right. Also they're gonna crucify you."
The judge has not yet filed a ruling on the defense's motion. In regards to Weinstein's simultaneous trial in Los Angeles, he has been charged with rape and sexual assault for two separate instances with two women.
