Over the course of five weeks, six women testified in a Manhattan courtroom about how Harvey Weinstein, once the most powerful man in Hollywood, raped or sexually assaulted them.
Annabella Sciorra, Miriam Haley, Jessica Mann, Dawn Dunning, Tarale Wulff, and Lauren Marie Young took the stand to describe, often in devastating and harrowing detail, how Weinstein used his power, charm, anger, and influence to allegedly manipulate and coerce them into nonconsensual acts.
On Monday, a jury of seven men and five women found Weinstein guilty of third-degree rape related to Mann's testimony and criminal sexual act in the first degree related to Haley's testimony. He was immediately jailed and is awaiting his sentencing on March 11.
Prosecutors used Sciorra's testimony that Weinstein raped her in the ’90s, in combination with Haley's and Mann's testimony, to support the two most serious charges of predatory sexual assault. The jury acquitted him on those charges.
Prosecutors also relied on the accounts of the other women to demonstrate Weinstein’s pattern of predatory behavior over the years — but their testimonies were not part of the criminal charges.
After the verdict, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. hailed these women and the two women who prosecuted the case — Joan Illuzzi-Orbon and Meghan Hast — as those who "changed the course of history in the fight against sexual violence."
"These are eight women who pulled our justice system into the 21st century by declaring that rape is rape, and sexual assault is sexual assault, no matter what," Vance said.
Weinstein's defense team always maintained that what the women said happened was not evidence.
The jury believed otherwise.
Here are the most powerful parts of the six women's testimonies that ultimately led to Weinstein being a convicted rapist.
Annabella Sciorra
Sciorra, an actor from The Sopranos, was the first of the six women to testify at the trial. She said Weinstein forced his way into her apartment and raped her sometime in the early ’90s.
This is how Sciorra described the alleged rape on the stand. (Lead prosecutor Joan Illuzzi-Orbon asked the questions.)
Q: What do you mean get ready for bed, what did you do to prepare for bed?
A: Washed my face, brushed my teeth, and put on a nightgown.
Q: Do you remember what nightgown it was?
A: Yes, I do.
Q: Can you describe it to the jury?
A: It was a white cotton nightgown that had been given to me by my mother's cousin in Italy because I didn't really have anything of my grandmother's because she died when she was very young. So my mother's cousin gave me some things from the family, quite old cotton and brighter nightgown.
Q: What happened next?
A: There was a knock on the door.
Q: What did you do?
A: I opened the door to see who it was thinking it was a neighbor or the doorman.
Q: How did you open the door?
A: I just opened it up a crack to look out.
Q: Do you recall if there if there was a peephole on your apartment door?
A: I don't remember.
Q: You are in your nightclothes?
A: Yes.
Q: And you opened the door anyway?
A: Yes.
Q: Did anyone announce that somebody was coming up?
A: No.
Q: Did the doorman call you that there was a guest asking to come up to your apartment?
A: No.
Q: What happened when you opened the door a bit? Tell the jury, take your time.
A: Um, the defendant was there and he pushed the door open. I didn't have an opportunity to understand why he was there, and he started to walk. There was two bedrooms like separated and there was a living room and dining room, and he started to sort of walk around, like, I don't know what he was doing. In hindsight, I think he was looking to see if there was somebody else there, and he started to unbutton his shirt and I then realized that he thought we were going to be having sex.
Q: Talk a little bit louder.
MS. ROTUNNO: Objection to the speculation.
THE COURT: Overruled.
A: I realized like if he was taking off his shirt that in his head —
MS. ROTUNNO: Objection.
A: He wanted to have sex and I did not want to.
MS. ROTUNNO: Objection.
A: I told him he had to leave.
Q: Stop for a second until the Court rules on any objections.
THE COURT: Overruled, please continue.
Q: I ask you to take you back to the point where you see him unbuttoning his shirt. Tell us what was said or done next.
A: I realized what he wanted, it was pretty obvious, so I started to back up because I thought I could make it into my bathroom, and I was telling him to leave and this wasn't going to happen. I was not feeling in any way romantic with him, and I was not having sex with him, but he kept coming at me and I felt very overpowered because he was very big, so I tried —
Q: How much did you weigh at that time?
A: 110, 115.
Q: How tall are you?
A: 5'4".
Q: Continue.
A: And so I started to back up thinking I could make it to my bathroom and get in there, and he grabbed me and —
Q: Hold on, go slower, show us how he grabbed you.
A: He grabbed me over here.
MS. ILLUZZI: Ms. Sciorra is indicating the front of the dress she's wearing and it is just around her collar and just above her chest level. Continue.
Q: Continue.
A: And he led me into, he led me into the bedroom which was the next room over from the bathroom, and he shoved me on the bed. I can't tell you exactly when his pants came off or exactly what happened, I don't think his shirt ever got completely off. I was wearing that nightgown and I did not have underwear underneath and he, as I was — as I was trying to get him off of me —
Q: What were you trying to do to get him off?
A: Punching him, kicking him, just trying to get him away from me, and he took my hands and put them over my head.
Q: I'm going to illustrate that for the jury, do that again.
A: He put my hands over my head like this to hold them back.
MS. ILLUZZI: Indicating with both her arms over her head holding her wrist.
A: And he got on top of me and he raped me.
Q: Okay, tell us what he did physically. Take your time.
A: He put his penis inside my vagina and he raped me.
Q: Again, without the conclusion, you have to describe to the jury the physical actions.
A: He put his penis inside my vagina and he had intercourse with me while I was trying to fight, but I could not fight anymore because he had my lands locked.
Q Then what happened?
A: At a certain point he stopped and he — he came out of me and he ejaculated on top of me on my leg and my nightgown.
Q: Did he say anything, do you remember any words being said during this?
A: He said I have perfect timing.
Q: Continue.
A: And —
Q: Go ahead.
A: And then he proceeded to put his mouth on my vagina and before he did that, he said, "This is for you," and I didn't have very much fight left inside of me at that point. I said no, you know, but I mean there was not much I could do at that point; my body shut down. And then it was just so disgusting that my body started to shake in a way that was very unusual. I didn't really know what was happening, it was like a seizure or something.
MS. ILLUZZI: Wait a second.
A: Excuse me.
MS. ILLUZZI: Give me one moment.
Q: I'm going to take you back to the moment you indicated your body was shaking, take it from there.
A: My body began to shake, I don't know how quite to describe it, it just was shaking like a seizure or something. I don't know how else to describe it.
Q: What happens next?
A: The defendant left and walked out.
Q: What happened to you?
A: I don't remember a lot then. I know that I woke up, I'm not sure if I fainted or if I fell asleep or if I blacked out, but I woke up on the floor with my nightgown like kind of up and I didn't know if something else had happened, yeah.
Miriam Haley
Haley, a former production assistant, was the next to take the stand for the prosecution. She said Weinstein sexually assaulted her in two separate incidents in 2006.
Haley said Weinstein pulled out her tampon and forcibly performed oral sex on her in his Soho apartment in New York City. She also testified that he sexually assaulted her in a Tribeca hotel room while calling her a “whore” and a “bitch.”
Her testimony formed the basis for two charges against Weinstein — one count of predatory sexual assault in combination with Sciorra’s testimony and one count of criminal sexual act in the first degree. The jury found Weinstein guilty of the latter.
In the following excerpt of Haley’s testimony, she answered the prosecutor's questions about the alleged sexual assault that occurred when she visited Weinstein at his Soho apartment on July 10, 2006.
A: We were having a normal conversation, television was on, we were sort of watching it a little bit half in between the conversations, and then at some point fairly soon into me being there, he came towards me and lunged at me, sort of trying to kiss me.
Q: Up to the point where he lunged at you, had you had any conversations of a sexual nature?
A: No.
Q: Any conversations of a romantic nature?
A: No, he would say things, yes.
Q: At the point in the apartment while you were sitting on the couch having a conversation?
A: No.
Q: Did you have, did that conversation involve anything of a sexual nature?
A: No.
Q: Did that conversation involve anything of a romantic nature?
A: No. I mean, I don't recall that.
Q: So then describe what happened at the point he lunges at you.
A: Well, I got up from the sofa and I said oh no, no, no, I just kind of tried to reject him and push him away, and he would just pull me back and keep kissing and fondling me. And I got up and I tried to walk away from him but he pulled me towards him and he was sort of walking towards me and I was walking backwards trying to get away, but he would just come at me.
Q: What happened next?
A: So, as I'm trying to get away from him, he just insists and pulls me towards him while sort of walking into me, and he — I walked backwards, he kind of led me, it is hard to explain. He was coming towards me physically and I was backed into a bedroom that was on the corner of that open space area through the door.
Q: What happened next?
A: And he, I walked backward because he was pushing me with his body until I got to the bed, and I fell backward on to the bed, and I tried to get up, and he pushed me down.
Q: What happened next?
A: I had expressed during this entire time that I didn't want to have any, like, I just said no, no, no, like I don't want this to happen, this is not going to happen, I'm on my period, I — what I said next, as well, that was not why it was not going to happen, but I was just trying to tell him everything to make him stop.
Q: Were you actually on your period?
A: I was.
Q: Continue.
A: And so I tried to reject him, I mean I did reject him, but he insisted, and every time I tried to get up off the bed he would push me back and hold me down with his arms — sorry.
MS. HAST: Take a break if you need it, have a sip of water.
Q: Whenever you are ready to continue.
A: Sorry.
Q: I think you were at the point where you were trying to get up from the bed.
A: Correct. He pushed me down, he held me down by my arms, and no, stay, like that, and I said no, no, and at that point started realizing what was actually happening and I'm being raped.
Q: Do you remember sort of what was going through your mind at that point?
A: Yes.
Q: Can you describe that?
A: To some degree, I mean.
Q: Could you describe what you remember for the jury?
A: When I realized what was actually happening, I started weighing up my options in my head, and I thought, okay, I'm not able to get away from him physically. So I thought, I thought if I escalate this, if I scream rape, will someone hear me. If I start kicking even harder, will I have a chance to get away from him and will I actually get, will I be able to get to the elevator, wait for the elevator, down the elevator, out into the street without him catching me? And if I do get all the way downstairs, is the driver in on it, will he be there standing guard ready to scoop me up if I get that far? And I couldn't even get away from him at all, let alone get out of the apartment. So ultimately after a while, I just checked out and decided to endure it, that was the safest thing for me to do at that point.
Q: What happened next?
A: He held me down on the bed and he forced himself on me orally. I was on my period, I had a tampon in there. I mean it was — I was mortified.
Q: So what did he do?
A: He forced himself on me orally, he put his mouth on my vagina.
Q: And what if anything did you do or say at that point?
A: I was just crying no.
Q: Did he do anything else at that point?
A: I kept trying to tell him no, don't go there, don't do that. I said I'm on my period, I have a tampon in there and it was as if he didn't believe me.
MR. CHERONIS: Objection.
THE COURT: Overruled.
A: And something like well, where is it then, like that. And he literally pulled my tampon out.
Q: Did he continue placing his mouth on your vagina after that?
A: Yes, but I don't really — honestly, I was in so much shock at the time, that I just checked out.
Q: What is the next thing that you remember happening?
A: At that point I don't remember much except when I left the apartment, I remember walking out of the building and looking to see if the driver was there the way I had thought.
Q: Do you remember the defendant saying anything at any point after he made the comment about the tampon?
A: No.
In this excerpt, Haley testified that Weinstein raped her when she went to meet him at his hotel room in Tribeca on July 26, 2006.
Q: Do you recall how you were feeling when you were walking to the hotel?
MR. CHERONIS: Objection to relevance.
THE COURT: Overruled.
A: I don't recall exactly how I was feeling except I was, I remember thinking I'm kind of trying to keep some sort of, some sort of, I feel like I was trying to regain some sort of power or something. But I looked down at my shoes and I thought oh my god, I just look like such a hobo.
Q: What happened when you got to the Tribecca hotel?
A: I actually don't recall whether an assistant took me upstairs or whether the front desk sent me upstairs, but I was one way or the other sent to meet him in a room inside.
Q: What happened when you got to the room?
A: Almost instantly he basically just took my hand like that and just pulled me towards the bed.
Q: Do you remember much of what happened at that point?
A: At that point, well, I just thought well, I just went numb and I just thought here we go again type of thing, and I was just, I just felt like an idiot.
Q: Can you tell the jury why you felt that way?
A: Because I had made it so clear and fought him off and made it very, very clear that I was not interested in him and he had managed to convince me to meet him again just to do, do something like that to me again, and I felt like an idiot for having believed whatever he was saying, even though I do not remember the conversations.
Q: Do you recall anything about what happened?
A: Yes, he pulled or led me on to the bed and I didn't resist physically, I just laid there.
Q: What did he do?
A: He had intercourse with me.
Q Do you recall anything about — withdrawn. Was anything being said between him and you?
A: He said things like something about — he said something like you are a whore and a bitch, but I think in a way which he thought that was going to somehow turn me on.
MR. CHERONIS: Objection, speculation.
THE COURT: Overruled.
A: I was, I was like motionless and just saying I'm not a bitch, I'm not a whore.
Q: Do you recall anything about how you were feeling at that point?
A: I was feeling very, I mean I was just, I felt numb, I felt numb, I felt like an idiot and I felt numb.
Q: Did you go to dinner with your friend that night?
A: I don't recall.
Q: Did you tell anybody about what happened after that second encounter?
A: I don't think so.
Q: Why not?
A: It was deeply embarrassing.
Q: How did you feel about yourself following that encounter?
A: It was just embarrassing, I was embarrassed.
Q: Did you blame yourself?
MR. CHERONIS: Objection.
THE COURT: Overruled.
A: For that time I did, yes.
Q: Just describe that.
A: Well, the first incident was deeply embarrassing, but I didn't blame myself. The second time I had not struggled and I gone there and I blamed myself.
Q: Did you want to have sex with Harvey Weinstein that night?
A: No.
Q: Did you do anything that would make him think you wanted to have sex with him that night?
A: No.
Dawn Dunning
Dunning, a former actor, testified that Weinstein sexually assaulted her in a hotel room in 2004 and that a few weeks later he asked her to have a threesome in exchange for a movie part. He was not charged with assaulting Dunning, but her testimony was used by prosecutors to illustrate his “prior bad acts” in order to demonstrate a pattern of abuse.
Dunning testified that during a meeting with Weinstein and his then-assistant at a Soho hotel, he put his hand under her skirt and inserted his fingers inside her.
Here is her testimony recounting the alleged incident.
Q: If you could again, describe exactly what happened as you were sitting next to him on the bed?
A: He put his hand up my skirt.
Q: Then what happened?
A: I was, I mean it was like a few seconds, but I just kind of froze for a minute, and then stood up. He, you know, told me not to make a big deal about it, he apologized that it would not happen again. Then we walked back out into the other room.
Q: I know this is difficult, but when he put his hand up your skirt, did his hand or fingers touch any part of your body?
MR. AIDALA: Objection to leading.
THE COURT: Sustained.
Q: When his hand, when he put his hand up your skirt, what if anything did he do?
A: His hand went under my underwear, he was trying to put it in — trying to put it in my —
MR. AIDALA: Objection to as to what he was trying to do. She does not know his state of mind.
THE COURT: Overruled. Continue.
A: He was trying to put it in my vagina.
Q: Again, what did you do at that point?
A: I stood up, I was like, I was like shocked. I just was not expecting that to happen. He just started talking really fast, he was like, it is not a big deal, don't make a big deal about this. He said it would not happen again.
Q: Did his finger actually go into your vagina?
MR. AIDALA: Objection, leading, your honor.
THE COURT: Overruled.
A: It like — slightly, not all the way.
Q: Did you say anything when you jumped up?
A: I don't remember saying anything specifically.
Q: Can you describe his demeanor at the point you jumped up?
A: He was talking a lot very fast, you know. I don't know if he did not expect what my reaction was going to be. He was just like continuously talking like it's not a big deal, don't make a big deal about this, it's not going to happen again; you know, that kind of thing.
Q: Did he ask you to engage in anything sexual prior to him putting his hand up your skirt?
A: No.
MR. AIDALA: Objection, your honor.
THE COURT: Overruled.
A: No.
Q: Did you have any physical contact with the defendant prior to him putting his hand up your skirt?
A: Maybe like a hug or, you know, like in a greeting type of way, like nothing like that, nothing sexual.
Q: Did you indicate in any way that you were interested in a sexual interaction with the defendant at that point?
MR. AIDALA: Objection, your honor.
THE COURT: Overruled.
A: No.
Q: What did you do after you jumped up and you had the conversation you described, what happened next?
A: We went into the other room, I was just trying to like rationalize it in my head, you know. Just you know, kind of gave him the benefit of the doubt that it wouldn't happen again. I did not yell at him, I didn't scream or anything, I just went back into the other room.
Q: How long did you stay in that other room?
A: Pretty — I left very shortly after that.
Q: Did you tell anyone what had happened?
A: No.
Q: Why not?
A: Um, I was embarrassed, I wanted to pretend like it didn't happen. I just — I didn't want to be a victim.
Dunning testified that a few weeks after the alleged incident, she met Weinstein and his then-assistant at another New York hotel for a meeting where, she alleged, he demanded she have a threesome.
Q: What happened when you got up to the room with [the assistant]?
A: He opened the door and he, he was wearing an open white hotel bathrobe, and it was, when you walk in, there was a coffee table and a couch, a couple of chairs, then on the other side was the bedroom.
Q: I'm going to stop you there. When you said he had on an open robe, did you see what if anything was underneath the robe?
A: I mean I saw his stomach.
Q: Did he have on any clothes underneath the robe?
A: No, not that I — I'm pretty sure he did not, I did not see any clothes, I saw his skin.
Q: What if anything did he say at that point?
A: He opened the door, I walked in, and on the coffee table I noticed three stacks of paper. And for some reason the tone, I don't know, something just seemed like different from when I had spent time with him in the past. Like he was more serious and not, I don't know, like there was just a different tone. I was kind of casual, hey, how is it going. He was not really that talkative at first.
Q: What happens next?
A: So, he kind of just cut to the chase and said here's contracts for my next three films. I'll sign them today if you have a threesome with me and my assistant.
Q: Where is the defendant at that point?
A: He was to my right.
Q: And you had described sort of like a coffee table, where was he in relation to that?
A: He was on my right, the coffee table was in front of me and the door was behind me.
Q: Where was [the assistant] at that point?
A: She was off to the left, she may have been behind me.
Q: What happened next?
A: I mean, when he said that, I laughed, I thought he was kidding, and he had kind of a crass sense of humor. But when I started laughing, he got really angry and started screaming at me. He said you'll never make it in this business, this is how this industry works, this is how, and he named three actresses, got to where they are.
Q: Do you recall the actresses he named?
A: It was Charlize Theron, Salma Hayek, and I believe Uma Thurman. I remember the first two for sure. And at that point I was scared and I didn't know what he was going to do. So like I just like ran, turned and ran for the door, and literally ran down the hall to the elevator.
(This story was updated to remove the assistant's name for privacy protections.)
Tarale Wulff
Wulff, a former aspiring actor, testified that Weinstein masturbated in front of her in a darkened area of a New York restaurant where she worked as a server and later raped her at his Soho apartment in 2005. Like Dunning, Wulff’s testimony did not form the basis of any charges against Weinstein and was used by the prosecution to establish the producer’s pattern of predatory behavior over the years.
This is an excerpt from Wulff’s testimony describing how Weinstein allegedly masturbated in front of her at the restaurant.
Q: What happened at that point?
A: Once he had me in front of him, at some point I said I have to get back to work, and he said one second, one second. Kind of makes me wait. And I noticed that his shirt started moving. He had on, I believe, a white shirt and I noticed that his shirt started moving, and I realized he was masturbating under his shirt. And I just froze for a second, then I just threw the towel and ran past him.
Q: And when you were describing his shirt, was that shirt tucked in or untucked?
A: It was untucked.
Q: You said after, at some point you said I have to go back downstairs. Can you describe at what point that was?
A: It was shortly after he got me, shortly after we stopped.
Q: Did anything else happen in between when he kind of turned you and you stopped, and you saying I have to go back downstairs?
A: I don't recall.
Q: And you described that you realized he was masturbating. What did you see that made you realize that?
A: I saw the motion of his shirt and his hand was in that direction under his shirt, and I saw the motion of his shirt going up and down.
Q: And what if any motion did you see of his hand?
A: I didn't see his actual hand. I saw the shirt over his hand moving up and down.
Q: Did he say anything at the point that you saw his hand under his shirt and his shirt going up and down?
A: The only thing I remember him saying was wait a second, give me a minute, I'll be a second.
Q: What did you do at that point?
A: I did freeze for a minute, and I just kind of looked off and then when I broke out, I was able to throw the towel and run.
Q: Did you see where he was looking?
A: I was not looking at him.
Q: And how did you get past him at that point?
A: I just scooted around his right.
Q: You scooted around his right?
A: His right.
Q: And what did you do at that point?
A: I ran back to the bar and I asked the girls to take my section and I just stood by the service station.
She also testified that after she visited Weinstein’s office to read for a part in the film, she was taken to his apartment in Soho where, she said, he raped her.
Q: What happens next?
A: I — at some point his conversation — I don't what he said that made me come into the room more but I came into the room and when I got to across the room which was where — past the bed, he had taken me by my arms and turned me around and put me on the bed and leaned on top of me.
Q: And you said he said something to bring you into the room. Do you remember the substance of what he said?
A: It was something like — I don't know the exact — it was along the lines of something come here, look at this or it was very nondescript. It wasn't anything that was alerting to me.
Q: Was it sexual in nature?
A: No.
Q: What happens next?
A: When I did get over there and he did take me by my arms and turn me around and put me on the bed and laid down, laid me back and laid on me as he laid me back.
Q: Can you describe what you are thinking at that point, at the point he takes you and puts you on the bed and lays you back?
A: When he was in front of me — when he was in front of me, that's when I felt a little afraid. That's when I felt afraid. That's when — that's when my red flag finally went up there.
Q: What did you do?
A: I told him I can't. And he answered, don't worry I had a vasectomy.
Q: Did you respond to that?
A: I just froze and I just looked off and that's it.
Q: Were you able to say anything else?
A: I didn't.
Q: You just described why not? Can you just describe why not?
A: I don't — after I said, I can't, it just went unanswered and I froze and I just — going blank is easier for me.
Q: What do you mean by that? Can you just describe that a little bit more, going blank is easier for me?
A: As much as I — as much as I want to be or wish or think I am a fighter, going blank and just dismissing everything is easier for me to just get through — get past it and just block it.
Q: How are you feeling at that point?
A: Just numb.
Q: What happens next?
A: I don't have a vivid memory of exactly but I remember after I was laid down and he was on top of me and I said, I can't, and he had said he had a vasectomy, and I just went blank and looked off. He put himself inside me and he raped me and I just remember getting up and — I just remember getting up. I don't remember from that moment between — I just remember getting up after —
Q: Do you remember anything about what you were thinking as you just laid there?
A: I don't remember what I was thinking.
Q: Can you describe for the jury his weight on top of you?
A: He is a heavy man. He was — he was certainly bigger and heavier and weighed me down.
Q: Prior to the defendant placing you on the bed, did he ask you if you wanted to engage in something sexual with him?
A: No, he didn't.
Q: Had you showed any interest in him sexually?
A: No, I didn't.
Q: Was there anything about your actions that conveyed that you wanted to have sex with Harvey Weinstein?
A: No.
Q: Did you want to have sex with Harvey Weinstein?
A: No.
Q: Were you surprised about what happened?
A: Yes.
Q: Just describe that?
A: I think it is shock. Just — it's just shock.
Q: Do you remember anything about the defendant's body?
A: I remember before — as — when he put me on the bed, I remember his shirt was open and I recall a scar on his side.
Q: What happened next?
A: I just remember standing next to the bed after that and I didn't go to the bathroom. I don't remember fussing with myself. I just collected myself, put myself together and I don't remember how we got downstairs but he told me he was going to take me back to the studio and we got into a car.
Jessica Mann
Mann’s harrowing testimony that Weinstein raped her during the course of what she said was an abusive relationship illustrated the complicated dynamics of power and consent between Weinstein and his victims.
Mann’s testimony formed the basis of three charges against Weinstein: predatory sexual assault and first- and third-degree rape. Weinstein was convicted of third-degree rape.
In the following excerpt, Mann testified that Weinstein forced oral sex on her in his hotel suite in Los Angeles in 2013 and that she faked an orgasm to get out of the situation.
Q: What happened then?
A: As he was closing the door and, um, he then had me by both arms and he came at me and he was pushing me back and trying to kiss me like crazy. And I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I told you I am not sexual. I don't — I don't know you, all of this stuff, like trying to just calm it down. And in that process, he had pushed me sort of back towards the bathroom and um, we got in this sort of tussle back and forth. And I was able to sort of turn around so that his back was to the wall and I was able to, hopefully, go up to the door.
Q: I am going to stop you there for a second. Did you make it into the bathroom or was it happening just outside of the bathroom?
A: I was not in the bathroom. This was outside of it.
Q: Was that bathroom off of the bedroom that you are describing to us?
A: I am sorry. What?
Q: Was the bathroom door inside of the bedroom?
A: It — it — I don't — I didn't really pay attention to that, so I don't — I just know the bathroom was there.
Q: But did he or you open the bedroom door again to be near the bathroom or was the bedroom door shut?
A: The bedroom door was shut this whole time. He pulled me in, was pushing me back and I sort of, in the motion of getting pushed back into the room, had been able to turn my body to go. And then he still had me by one arm and he wasn't letting go. And that's when he really tightened his grip and the more I fought, the angrier he got. And then his anger scared me so I tried to calm him down and tried to like, joke, you know. And then, um, he calmed down a little bit but he was still like, you are going to let me do something for you. I am not letting you leave until I do something for you. I said what? What do you want to do? He wouldn't tell me and um, then he told me to sit on the bed and then that's when he went down on me.
Q: Okay. I am going to take you back for a moment when you said the defendant was getting angry at you. How was he expressing that anger?
A: It was very like high, low, high, low. He started manipulating me, like, well, you accepted my invitation to these parties.
MS. ROTUNNO: Objection.
THE COURT: Sustained.
THE WITNESS: To these parties and —
Q: What was he saying?
A: He was saying, you accepted these invitations to my party. A lot of like stuff like that and then the — you are not leaving until I do something for you.
Q: And what was the tone of his voice during this time?
A: At first he would try to be persuasive and smile about it. When I would pull away more, he was said like, no, you are not, like, no type of stuff. I don't remember exactly what he said but the tone would shift from anger that I felt to this trying to negotiate with me.
Q: Now, at the point where you are on the bed, he tells you to sit on the bed, what position are you in, initially?
A: When? Say that again?
Q: So at the point where he tells you to sit on the bed, what position is your body in, initially?
A: Sitting upright on the bed.
Q: And then what happens?
A: Well, he — he went down on me.
Q: And so, it is a little uncomfortable. When you say he went down on you, can you tell the jury exactly what you meant?
A: His he put his mouth on my vagina, um —
THE COURT: Next question.
Q: Ms. Mann —
A: Yes.
Q: Do you recall what you were wearing at that time?
A: A dress.
Q: And do you recall what, if anything, happened to — what, if any, were your undergarments?
A: I just wear underwear.
Q: Do you remember what happened to the underwear?
A: Well, he pulled them down.
Q: And that's before he put his mouth on your vagina? You have to answer.
A: Yes.
Q: What are you doing as this is going on?
A: I kind of locked up and got really quiet. So much time had happened and I was really anxious about Talita being out there by herself and I — I started to fake an orgasm to get out of it.
Q: And did you do that? Did you fake an orgasm to get out of it?
A: Yes.
Q: And what happened at that point?
A: He asked me how it was, if I liked it? And I was nervous so I told him it was the best I ever had.
Q: At this moment in time, Ms. Mann, were you physically or sexually attracted to the defendant?
A: No.
Q: Did he disrobe at all during this event?
A: I don't remember him having clothes off.
Q: After that ended — after that moment ended, what happened next?
A: I got out of there as fast as I could.
In this excerpt, Mann testified that Weinstein raped her in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013 before she was about to introduce him to her friend at a breakfast meeting.
Q: Then when you opened the door, would he force it closed?
A: Yes, I was using strength.
Q: What happened after you tried this several times?
A: Well, I kind of shut down a little bit and then he told me to undress and I still was not undressing. And then he comes at me and grabs my hand to try to force me to start undressing myself as he held my hand to do it, and —
Q: How were you feeling?
A: Panicked, because my worst nightmare I felt like could happen.
Q: Which was?
A: That —
MS. ROTUNNO: Objection.
THE COURT: Overruled.
A: This secret of this dynamic with him was about to be seen in front of Talita and Thomas.
Q: That was embarrassment, is that correct?
A: Panic and more panic.
Q: Did you have any other feelings about the defendant at that moment?
A: I was very angry inside and a little scared because we were having, at that point, that was one of the more escalated times. He never kind of came at me like with his hands holding me to undress myself.
Q: Were you able to get out of the room?
A: No.
Q: What did you do next?
A: I gave up at that point, and I undressed and he stood over me until I was completely naked, then he told me to lay on the bed. And once I was naked and laying on the bed, he walked into the bathroom and sort of closed the door behind him. He was gone for not very long at all, and the door is still kind of open a little bit. And then he came out naked and he got on top of me and that is when he put himself inside of me, his penis inside of me.
Q: Inside of your vagina?
A: Yeah.
Q: What was his demeanor towards you prior to going, prior to him going into the bathroom?
A: He would have commanding type statements such as you know, undress now.
Q: Can you describe to the jury his tone of voice?
A: Like a drill sergeant and sharp and angry — it is hard to put it into emotion.
Q: Had you ever had intercourse with him before this moment?
A: No, I would — what I thought we were doing was role-playing. But I don't have any, I didn't have any experience of his penis inside of me.
Q: After he put his penis inside you, describe what happened next?
A: When he was done, he got dressed and I ran into the bathroom.
Q: I'm going to stop you there for a second. When he was putting his penis in your vagina, where was your body and where was his?
A: I was laying completely on my back the whole time, and he was completely laying on top of me, which is not very comfortable.
Q: Were you able to move or get up?
A: No, you can't under him.
In the following testimony, Mann alleged that Weinstein became physically violent with her when she told him about another man she was in a relationship with.
Q: I'm going to take you back to the point at which you are having a conversation with the defendant in his hotel room at the Peninsula with regards to the fact that you were now in a different relationship, a relationship with someone else. Take us back and tell us about that conversation.
A: So wow, I mean I refused to be answering him.
Q: With regards to what?
A: Who I was dating, and by the time he got to the question if he was an actor, his eyes changed and he was not there. They were very black and he ripped me up from my chair from the table, and he was screaming you owe me, you owe me one more time. As he was dragging me into the bedroom I didn't fall, but I was having a lot of trouble keeping my balance. He was pulling me so fast he, he sort of threw me down on the edge of the bed and he was demanding that I take off my clothes, and I was begging him, I said no, please, no, because I already been with my boyfriend. He stood over me and he said take off your clothes again, and I said no again. And he said I don't have time for games. And he lunged at me with both hands and they hooked into my pants, and he ripped my pants so hard and so fast off of me that I had three scratches down each leg from the top of my thigh to right above my knee. He pulled my pants down. Only the middle scratch had dots of blood that had come up, but there were three red marks and it hurt. It stung kind of like a paper cut but deeper, and I froze and lost my voice and I crawled back to the pillows and I got in a ball and I had no strength. I remember thinking because he had walked into the bathroom, I was hearing myself saying run, run, pull up your pants and run, and I could barely grab my underwear and I just couldn't move, and he came back out and he grabbed both of my ankles and he pulled me so hard down by my ankles that I flew back. And as he was down there, he pushed my legs apart and did something with my pants to get them out of his way, and then he put his mouth on my vagina and he started to lick my vagina and then he stopped and he said something, I don't know what he said. And then he came at me to get on top of me and then he penetrated me.
Q: You've got to explain to the jury what that is when you say penetrated.
A: He put his penis inside of me and he started to just like try to, you know, hump and have sex with me. And I remember he had attacked me so fast. Almost every other time he would get fully naked and this time he still had a T-shirt on, and I couldn't breathe. He was so heavy on me, and I just remember looking at the TV and staring at it and then it went black, and I don't know if I passed out or if it was too overwhelming, and then the next thing I come to is I'm on my knees and he is shoving his penis in my mouth, and he has an orgasm, and that was the first time I ever experienced some sort of fluid that came out of his penis and, and it choked me, and it was so bad. And when he was done he went and laid on the bed as I crawled to the bathroom on my hands and knees to the sink to try to spit out the taste in my mouth, and I was scared to look at myself, but I did, and I saw that I had been crying long enough that my eyes were red and swollen at that point. But I don't know when I started to cry, and then he called me and I was scared when I heard my name, and he wanted me to come to him. So I went out there after compressing my eyes with some cold water to try to hide the fact I had been crying, because I was scared if he saw I was upset he would get more mad. And then he attempted to reframe what happened like he had done before to me —
MS. ROTUNNO: Objection, Judge.
THE COURT: Overruled.
A: And he said thanks, like okay, now you can go have your relationship and what you can do is you can bring me other girls. You can be my, what do they call it, a wing girl, and then he apologized to me. He said I'm so sorry about earlier. I just find you so attractive, I couldn't resist. And then he would want me to answer him that we are friends right? Yes, we are friends, yeah we are friends, I said. So much was going through my mind, and when I felt like he was okay with letting me leave after he finished talking to me, I left.
Here are several excerpts from Mann’s three-day testimony where she talked about her confusion and fear over Weinstein’s behavior toward her during their relationship, which she described as being with “Jekyll and Hyde.”
Q: Did his demeanor towards you fluctuate?
A: Yes.
Q: How did it fluctuate?
A: It was like Jekyll and Hyde. I mean —
MS. ROTUNNO: Objection, Judge.
THE COURT: Overruled.
THE WITNESS: — he could be the most charming, informative person. He could lift you up to anyone he introduced you to and then behind closed doors it would be dependent upon if I gave him what he wanted.
She also tried to explain why she continued to be in a relationship with him after the rape.
Q: Why did you engage in this relationship with the defendant?
A: One of the aspects initially was the fact that I had had a sexual encounter with him, you know, when he — when he went down on me and that that wasn't something that I could undo. And that really confused me and hurt me. I did have confusing emotions.
Q: Describe those for the jury.
A: There is a long period of time where these emotions fluctuated. It was not sexual emotions, but there was some sort of emotional dynamic there for me.
Q: In what way?
A: His approval would have meant so much to me.
MS. ROTUNNO: Objection.
THE COURT: Overruled.
A: And I wanted — it's hard for me to break it down because my mind is within the different timeframes of things. But when I would feel hurt or the anger I would stifle that down and just look for the good.
Here, Mann described the tone of communication she had with Weinstein.
Q: Can you describe your communications with the defendant for the most part, the tone of your conversations and your communications with him?
A: Most would be a lot of flattery, a lot of compliments.
Q: From who to who would the compliments be going?
A: Me to him.
Q: Why, why were you flattering him?
A: Well, I felt like it was like, you know that fairy tale "The Emperor With No Clothes," his ego was so —
MS. ROTUNNO: Objection.
A: Fragile.
THE COURT: Overruled.
A: And it would also make me feel safe, because worshipping him in this sense is really, there is a lot of dynamics in the relationship, I hope I can explain.
Q: So, you were sending him flattering e-mails, is that correct?
A: Yes.
Q: Did you mean everything that you said?
A: It was not about meaning, it was about being perceived as —
MS. ROTUNNO: Objection, nonresponsive.
THE COURT: Overruled.
A: I wanted to be perceived as innocent and naive and not a threat.
Q: Why?
A: I was afraid I would trigger his anger, and his anger when he felt rejection, I assume when he felt rejection.
Q: Why did you continue to have a relationship with him?
A: There is a lot of layers to that question.
THE COURT: Okay. Next question.
Q: While you were in this situation with the defendant, what were you feeling towards him?
A: I saw him the way that I saw my father.
MS. ROTUNNO: Objection.
THE COURT: Overruled. Next question.
Q: In what way?
A: My dad had similar anger.
MS. ROTUNNO: Objection.
THE COURT: Overruled. Move on.
Q: Did the defendant at times display anger to you?
MS. ROTUNNO: Objection, foundation.
THE WITNESS: Yes.
THE COURT: Overruled.
Q: In what way would he — in what circumstances would he display anger towards you?
A: If he heard the word, no, it was like a trigger for him.
MS. ROTUNNO: Objection.
THE COURT: Overruled.
THE WITNESS: He —
MS. ROTUNNO: Objection.
THE COURT: Overruled.
THE WITNESS: He also — he also peed on me once.
In this excerpt, she sought to explain why she continued to engage with her abuser.
A: I engaged with my abuser because —
Q: How many times?
A: Of what I believed in my mind and the perception of the society I lived in and the things and the ways he did threaten me, and it was always in my best interest to feel that the temperature gauges between us. I wanted to know that we were okay and something was not going to happen to me. I didn't want to be associated with him, but I was also afraid that his unpredictability and how he feels from my perception, rejected, that would direct more abuse on me. Abuse is embarrassing. So yeah, having to talk about it and things being perceived certain ways, it is like I'm a very insecure person at that time in my life.
In this excerpt, Mann described how she negotiated in her sexual relationship with Weinstein.
Q: You told Mr. Weinstein you wanted to have a normal relationship with him?
A: I can't answer that with a yes or no.
Q: And every time you went to see him and you engaged in sexual behavior with him, that was consensual, you made him think you wanted it?
A: After a long negotiation at times, then yes, I would put on the face and do what I said earlier which is like role-playing.
Q: When you say — describe role-playing for me.
A: Yes.
Q: What your definition of it is.
A: Well, when I didn't think that he could have actual sex, I thought we were — we were creating the fantasy as if he was having actual sex.
Q: And you engaged in that with him, correct?
A: Yes.
Q: And you were happy to do that, correct?
A: I wasn't happy to do it.
Q: Well, you did it?
A: I did it.
Q: And you didn't say to him, I don't want to do this with you?
A: Oftentimes before we would engage in something sexual, there was a negotiation and me trying to not do something.
Q: What would you say, if you give me a script I will do this for you? What negotiation are you talking about?
A: So the more I realized I was feeling like I was just being used, I tried to not have sexual encounters with him and we would get in this back-and-forth about it, where, you know, I would — I would sometimes try to make excuses or try not to have — to be sexual. And there was just this back-and-forth and then at a certain point I would have just kind of give in or he would just want to masturbate while holding me. It would be a, I would say, a negotiation.
Q: And you would engage in that negotiation with him, correct?
A: Yeah because I wanted to reduce what he wanted from me.
Lauren Marie Young
Young, a model, was the last woman to testify to Weinstein's sexual misconduct. Young, 30, said Weinstein lured her to his hotel suite and trapped her in the bathroom with him while he masturbated. Young said another woman, Claudia Salinas, shut the bathroom door and stood outside during the incident. Salinas testified for the defense that she was never present in any "bathroom scenario" involving Weinstein and Young.
Weinstein has been charged in Los Angeles based on Young's allegations. In New York, her testimony was used to establish a pattern of his predatory behavior but did not form the basis of any charges.
In this excerpt, Young described the alleged incident that occurred in a Los Angeles hotel bathroom in 2013 following a meeting with Weinstein and Salinas at the hotel bar.
Q: We left off this morning with you having followed the defendant into a bathroom.
A: Correct.
Q: What point did you realize that you were headed into a bathroom?
A: Once I made that last right turn and was entering the bathroom is when I realized. There was no other room outside of the bathroom.
Q: Again, what reason had the defendant given you for having left that bar area?
A: To continue our discussion about America's Next Top Model.
Q: And did he indicate that he had somewhere to go at that point?
A: That he had to go accept an award with Quentin Tarantino.
Q: I'm going to put up on the screen briefly People's 15 Exhibit in evidence. If you could describe for the jury what happened at the point you got to the bathroom?
A: So, I followed Harvey in and Claudia is behind me, and as I step into the bathroom, there is a mirror straight ahead and I look in it and behind me I see Claudia closing the door. Harvey went straight to the left into the shower, opened it, turned it on and already started undressing. I turned around and the door was finishing being shut. I stood there in shock. At first I nervously started laughing, shaking my head, and I went to go towards the door to approach it, and he was already naked at that point. The quickest I've ever seen anybody undress, and he stepped in front of me when I went to approach the door with his naked body. At that point he was right in front of me and the door was right, his shower door was right behind him, and it was also blocking the door to the bathroom, and I could see a shadow through the door and underneath that someone, Claudia, was still standing there. I don't know, it is just, I felt so trapped, and I was in shock, I just started backing up away from him.
Q: I'm going to pause you for one second. When you say you felt trapped, can you describe for the jury what about the situation that made you feel trapped?
A: First, the fact that the girl had invited me and closed the door and didn't come in and left me in there. That is when I realized I'm stuck here, somebody put me in here.
Q: Did you try to get out of the bathroom at that point when you saw the door close?
A: That is when I went to approach it and he stepped in front of me.
Q: So, at the point where you tried to approach the door, where is the defendant in relation to the door?
A: Right next to it. The shower is right next to the door. So literally, if you open up the shower door it partially was blocking the other door, so he was right next to it. So the door was still opened, he just popped right there. He was right in front of me, in front of the door. It was him, the glass shower door, the other bathroom door, then Claudia behind with the shadow.
Q: You had said something about laughing. Can you just describe that reaction?
A: I never laughed being that scared in my life. I never laughed that nervously. I just couldn't believe what was happening to me, and I was really worried and scared that they were going to hurt me or something, you know, I was terrified.
Q: Describe what happens next.
A: So, as I approached the door and he gets in front of me, he starts no, we are just going to have a talk here. We are just talking like it was nothing that he was naked, rinsing off real quick, and I just come up here for just what I thought was to continue a conversation, and he starts approaching me. And I'm backed up, I backed up towards the sinks, there are two sinks. I was standing in the middle backed up against it, and a, the mirror is connected to the sinks. So now I'm backed up against it and he starts coming closer to me. So I turned because I did not want to look at his naked body and I, he came behind me and unzipped my dress. He started pulling it down. I was wearing a white dress with lace and another undergown, the slip underneath it, and um, he unzipped it and started pulling it down, and turned me around. And then he was masturbating and grasping my boob with his, my right breast with his left hand and jerking off with his right hand saying how am I going to know if you can act. I said no, no, no the whole time, that I had a boyfriend, that I was not interested. My hands were down to my side because the dress was pulled down towards my elbows and my breasts were out. At that point he went from grabbing my breast, my right breast to touching my vagina. My hands were still down by my side, so I blocked him with my hands. I was like, I was like trapped by the sleeves of the dress at my elbows. So my hands were, I put them there to block him from entering my body.
Q: Was he actually able to touch your vagina or were you able to block him from that?
A: He glanced it, but I blocked it, I went fast and I held myself.
Q: What happens next?
A: He goes back to grasping my breasts and he's squinting at me like this.
MS. HAST: The witness is making a facial expression where she's squinting her eyes.
A: And he continued to masturbate and ejaculated on the towel when he approached me, that he quickly dried off with and dropped as soon as he approached me, he ejaculated onto that towel.
Q: What happens next?
A: He left the bathroom first, and I stayed standing there in shock.
Q: And then what did you do?
A: I pulled up my dress, I don't even think I zipped it, and I walked out the bathroom, and Claudia Salinas was standing right there and Harvey had already went into his bedroom.
Q: What did you do at that point?
A: I shot her an evil look and I left as quick as I could without saying anything.
Q: Prior to going into that bathroom, had you ever been alone with Harvey Weinstein before?
A: Never in my life.
Q: Were you sexually attracted to Harvey Weinstein?
A: Never.
Q: Did you have any romantic interest in Harvey Weinstein?
A: Never.
Q: Did you do anything to act like you were sexually or romantically interested in Harvey Weinstein?
A: No.
The National Sexual Assault Hotline is at 800-656-4673. More resources are available at rainn.org.