Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial began Tuesday in a New York court, where jury selection began with 70 prospective panelists – many of whom told the judge straightaway that they could not be impartial.
Weinstein was wheeled into the courtroom late in the morning, carrying a book with the cover torn off, according to multiple media reports. When Judge Curtis Farber asked the group to raise a hand if they felt they could not remain impartial, more than a dozen did so, the AP reported.
One of those was Mark Axelowitz, an actor who plays a prosecutor in the Robert De Niro-led film “The Alto Knights.” After being dismissed, he told the AP: “I don’t like the guy, he is a really bad guy.”
New York prosecutors are trying Weinstein again after the state’s Court of Appeals overturned his 2020 conviction last year, ruling that improper testimony and rulings tainted his trial. Now 73, Weinstein has pleaded not guilty and denies that he raped or sexually assaulted anyone.
He is also appealing a 2022 rape conviction in Los Angeles, where a 16-year prison sentence still stands, which has allowed New York authorities to hold him while they re-set their own case. Two charges from his original trial will be retried, stemming from incidents in 2006 and 2013.
The trial is expected to last for several weeks after four days of jury selection.
