Harvey Weinstein makes Valentine’s Day appeal in court appearance to overturn 2020 rape conviction

Harvey Weinstein should have his first rape conviction quashed because he was made a ‘poster boy’ for the MeToo movement, a court heard today.

The disgraced Hollywood producer’s lawyers made arguments before an appeals court on Valentine’s Day, claiming he did not receive a fair trial in New York in 2020.

Arthur Aidala claimed that Weinstein’s character and not the evidence was central to the case.

The allegations amounted to a “man courting a woman” because the relationships were consensual, Aidala told the appeals court in Albany, New York.

It was wrong to have three additional accusers testify because Weinstein’s intentions were clear, he claimed.

In an extraordinary moment, Aidala said, “What was his intention? It’s not to make macaroni and cheese, it’s to sexually assault her!’

The 71-year-old Weinstein, who is in poor health, is serving a 23-year prison sentence after being convicted of sexual assault and rape at a trial in Manhattan in 2020.

Weinstein was sentenced to a further 16 years in prison in Los Angeles last February after being convicted of three counts of rape and sexual assault.

Unless Weinstein, who once ruled Hollywood and won 81 Academy Awards, wins his appeal in both cases, he will likely die in prison.

The hearing took place 100 miles from the Mohawk Correctional Facility where Weinstein is serving his sentence.

Aidala told the court the conviction was unfair because Judge James Burke admitted three other women as witnesses to previous bad acts, or Molyneaux witnesses.

He said “our client did not receive a fair trial” and described the case as “essentially a case of a man wooing a woman” because it was consensual.

Admitting the additional witnesses ‘should not have happened’ because there was ‘no ambiguity’ about the alleged behaviour.

Raising her voice, Aidala described how Mimi Haleyi, one of Weinstein’s victims, screamed and shouted “no, no, no.”

Judge Madeline Singas responded: “Do you not fundamentally understand the nature of this assault?”

Aidala said no.

He said, “Because he (Weinstein) became the poster boy for a movement that he holds to a different standard.”

According to Aidala, it was “Weinstein’s character that was on trial, it was not the evidence.”

Aidala insisted that it was an “abuse of discretion” if Haleyi were allowed to describe ten other sexual acts with Weinstein.

This made him look like a ‘bad guy’.

Aidala also took issue with Juror 11, who was writing a book about a predatory man while on the jury.

Aidala raised his voice again and said, “We’re getting more information that this book is about a predatory man. he confronts her about it and she basically says I lied. I was wrong, I wasn’t sure, I didn’t know what you meant. It was a very simple question’.

Steven Wu, chief of appeals for the Manhattan District Attorney, argued that Weinstein was in an “exalted” position in Hollywood, which he took advantage of.

“He had a pattern of contacting these women, making offers to these women… the repetition of the unlawful conduct makes an innocent explanation unlikely.”

Wu said the additional witnesses were brought in to show that “young women were willing to have certain types of relationships with him and yet did not consent to sexual acts.”

The judges will make their decision at a later date.

Weinstein’s downfall began in 2017 during the MeToo movement, which targeted prominent men with a history of sexual misconduct.

His trial in New York was perhaps the most high-profile and his conviction was seen as a turning point for women’s rights.

Among those who gave testimony at his trial in Los Angeles was Jennifer Siebel Newsom, wife of California Governor Gavin Newsom.

She who repeatedly broke down in tears as she described how Weinstein raped her in a Beverly Hills hotel in 2005 when she was an aspiring actress.

During cross-examination, Weinstein’s attorney Alan Werksman tried to argue that the accusers had consensual relationships with him to boost their careers, labeling them as “fame and fortune seekers.”

He called Ms. Siebel Newsom, a documentary filmmaker, a “bimbo” and said her frequent crying during her testimony was a “theatrical, overdramatized performance.”

In another emotional moment, Aidala said he was “a little offended” by Wu’s argument.

He said the bottom line was that “all women react the same way” and that if a high school student was rejected on a prom date, he should expect all the other women to reject him as well.

“All women are different,” Aidala said. ‘That’s against humanity!’

Aidala claimed that Weinstein “begged to tell his side of the story” until the judge allowed the additional witnesses.

He continued: ‘They tested his character so much that they made him naked, took pictures and presented them to the jury. Literal!’

During the trial, the jury was indeed shown photos of Weinstein’s naked body, complete with blackheads, to substantiate his accusations.

Aidala said the Manhattan district attorney’s office has set up a hotline for tips called “1-800 Get Harvey.”

He urged the court to restore its faith in the justice system and concluded: “And your honor, happy Valentine’s Day.”