Miriam Haley testified again against Harvey Weinstein, narrated her ordeal in court

Miriam Haley gave evidence at a retrial of the MeToo case against Harvey Weinstein in a court in New York on Tuesday (April 29). Haley informed the court that Weinstein had sexually assaulted her in July 2006 forcefully. Haley was 47 years old at that time. She explicitly stated that there was neither romantic nor sexual attraction in her towards Weinstein. She met Weinstein only in search of employment.

Haley told the court that she had met Weinstein at the Cannes Film Festival in France in May 2006, two months before the alleged incident. There she went to Weinstein's hotel room to talk about job opportunities in the film and TV industry, but Weinstein soon turned the conversation in another direction. Haley said, "He commented on my feet and suggested that we give each other massages." Haley rejected his offer and left the room crying. She said, "I was shocked, I felt humiliated. I felt he was not taking me seriously at all."

Haley began her testimony with painful memories of her childhood. She shared that her childhood in Finland and Sweden was not spent in a good environment. Later her interest in performing arts grew and she started working as a production assistant in the film industry. She was also an assistant to Michael White, producer of the famous "Rocky Horror Picture Show".

This is the second time Haley is testifying against Weinstein. She had also narrated her ordeal in the first hearing held in 2020. Last year, the New York Appeals Court overturned Weinstein's 23-year sentence and ordered a new trial, as some of the judge's decisions in the first hearing were found to be biased. Haley was initially reluctant to testify again, but eventually she agreed to appear in court. In court, Haley avoided looking at Weinstein. Only when the prosecutor asked her to identify Weinstein did she point to him. 73-year-old Weinstein was sitting among his lawyers and was looking at Haley.

As soon as Haley's testimony began, Weinstein's lawyers opposed talking about his childhood experiences. They said that this information was not related to the case and could confuse the jury. However, the judge allowed Haley to respond. Haley briefly became emotional but composed herself and continued to testify.

Weinstein has been accused of sexual abuse by three women. Apart from Haley, Kaja Sokola and Jessica Mann are expected to testify against Weinstein. At the same time, Weinstein has denied all the allegations and said that he never raped or sexually abused anyone.