Harvey Weinstein’s lawyer, Donna Rotunno, and Gloria Allred got into a heated exchange before court convened on Friday morning for the mogul’s criminal trial, with the former going so far as to put their disagreement on the record before the judge.
“Ms. Allred feels the need to go out on a daily basis to attack me, which is fine, she can attack me whenever she wants, however, she’s announcing to the media that I have to leave to attend a funeral. I think it’s out of line and unprofessional,” Rotunno said before the judge. “She doesn’t care that it’s wrong and it’s horrible behavior.”
But before court convened, Rotunno was seen walking up to Allred, who represents three of the witnesses in the trial and was seated in the front row of the galley. Though Rotunno’s comments were inaudible, Allred could be heard responding, “You are out of control. I did not say that. … You are once again distorting the facts.”
The bad blood between Allred and Weinstein’s defense team has persisted throughout the trial. Last month, the defense attorneys issued a motion — which was denied by the judge — requesting that Allred be barred from the courtroom. And on Wednesday, the attorneys requested a gag order on Allred to prevent her from speaking to the press. The judge essentially denied the defense’s motion, saying, “I wish I had that kind of authority.”
Jury deliberations continue on Friday.