Harvey Weinstein Retrial: Tearful Testimony from Ex-“Project Runway” Assistant Recounts Alleged 2006 Rape

Edited by: TJVNews.com

In harrowing and emotional courtroom testimony, Miriam “Mimi” Haley, a former production assistant on “Project Runway,” recounted the moment she realized she was being raped by disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein in his SoHo apartment nearly two decades ago, as was reported by The New York Post report.

Haley, now 48, testified Wednesday in Manhattan Supreme Court as part of Weinstein’s retrial, which centers on serious charges stemming from multiple allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. According to the information provided in The New York Post report, Haley broke down in tears as she recalled the July 2006 incident that she described as “mortifying” and “unthinkable.”

“I realized that I’m getting raped,” Haley told jurors, fighting back sobs. “The unthinkable was happening … I didn’t know when it was ending.”

Weinstein, 73, sat in court in a wheelchair, shaking his head as Haley testified, often staring directly at her throughout the day’s proceedings. The report in the New York Post observed that his demeanor remained mostly impassive as the former assistant described the terrifying moment she says she was overpowered by one of the most influential men in Hollywood.

Haley was just 29 years old when the alleged assault occurred. She testified that Weinstein had sent a driver to collect her from her apartment, bringing her to his downtown Manhattan residence. Once there, she said the Miramax co-founder “lunged” at her almost immediately, attempting to kiss her as they sat on his sofa.

“I rejected him and he kept persisting,” Haley told the jury, describing how she used her full strength—at the time weighing just 110 pounds—to push Weinstein off. But her efforts, she said, were in vain.

As The New York Post reported, Haley described in graphic and deeply disturbing terms how Weinstein allegedly ignored her repeated protests, forced her into a dark bedroom, and pinned her to the bed. “I was trying to get him off of me,” she recounted. “I was trying to push him away from me. I was trying to get him to stop kissing me and grabbing me.”

Haley testified that Weinstein pulled off her underwear and that, despite her telling him she was menstruating and had a tampon in, he forcibly removed it. She alleges that he then performed oral sex on her against her will.

“I couldn’t get away from his grip,” she told jurors. Her voice breaking, Haley described how she ultimately decided to “check out” mentally, calculating that resistance was futile. “I decided to check out and endure it,” she said. “I was mortified. I was embarrassed. I was in disbelief.”

According to the information in The New York Post report, Haley testified that the next thing she remembered was walking out onto the street and catching a taxi home. She later confided in her roommate but did not immediately report the assault to the police.

“My thoughts were that this person was very powerful in the entertainment industry,” Haley explained. “I risked having both the industry and the media turn against me and call me various things.”

“I did kind of suppress it,” Haley admitted in court. “I found a way to kind of almost suppress, put it away and carry on like it almost didn’t happen although it bugged me in the back of my mind forever.”

But as The New York Post reported, the trauma resurfaced in full force when Haley agreed to meet Weinstein again—this time at the TriBeCa Grand Hotel. She testified that she felt manipulated into going and was immediately pulled onto the bed as soon as she entered the room.

“‘Oh no, oh no — not again,’” Haley remembered thinking. “In that moment, I just felt so stupid.”

Haley described herself as going “numb,” lying there “like a dead fish” as Weinstein allegedly raped her again. The powerful producer, she told jurors, called her degrading names like “bitch” and “whore,” making her feel “very, very small.” She added that he didn’t use a condom and told her not to worry because he “can’t have kids.”

On her way out of the room, Haley summoned the courage to confront him: “‘You know — you can’t keep doing this,’” she recalled saying. But Weinstein, she testified, responded with chilling indifference: “He just looked at me, like, whatever.”

The New York Post report noted that Haley’s reappearance on the witness stand closely mirrors her role in Weinstein’s first Manhattan rape trial in 2020, where she testified under the last name “Haleyi.” On Wednesday, she explained that she later changed her name to “Haley” to sound more generic. “If you Googled me, that was all that would come up,” she said, explaining that it became a professional and emotional burden.

The courtroom was filled with tension as Haley relived one of the most traumatic events of her life under cross-examination and direct questioning. Her testimony, marked by visible emotion and unflinching detail, is expected to be a key moment in the state’s renewed prosecution of Weinstein.

Though much of Haley’s testimony echoed her prior court appearance, The New York Post reported that new details emerged, including Weinstein allegedly asking her, “Don’t you think we’re much closer now?”—a disturbing comment that, according to Haley, made her feel even more trapped and dehumanized.

Haley also acknowledged that she had one sexual encounter with Weinstein that was not forced—but emphasized that it was still unwanted. Her statement indicated a common reality among sexual assault survivors: coerced compliance does not equate to consent.

Anticipating efforts by Weinstein’s defense team to discredit her using past emails—an approach they employed in the first trial—prosecutors this time took the lead in addressing the issue. Haley explained that any seemingly affectionate language in her emails, such as “lots of love,” was professional courtesy intended to maintain a working relationship. “I was trying to get him to help me launch a show,” she clarified.

As The New York Post has reported, Weinstein has yet to be cross-examined by the defense. His legal team is expected to begin on Thursday, and the coming days may determine whether the prosecution’s efforts to preempt character attacks will succeed.

Weinstein was originally sentenced to 23 years in prison in the 2020 case that featured Haley’s testimony. However, the verdict was overturned last year by New York’s highest court, which ruled that the trial judge had erred in allowing additional accusers to testify about uncharged allegations. The retrial marks a renewed effort by prosecutors to hold Weinstein accountable using the same core evidence, with tighter legal parameters.

Weinstein—now 73 and confined to a wheelchair in court—faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted of the top charge in this retrial. The New York Post has reported that jurors will soon hear from former actress Jessica Mann, who alleges that Weinstein raped her twice in 2013.

Adding to his legal troubles, Weinstein was also convicted in California last year for raping an Italian model during a 2013 film festival. He received a 16-year sentence in that case, which he is currently appealing.

The retrial highlights not only the persistence of one woman’s pursuit of justice, but also the long, painful legacy of trauma suffered in silence. Haley’s testimony—marked by emotional clarity and courageous detail—resonated in a courtroom still grappling with the cultural earthquake triggered by the #MeToo movement.

“I realized how much I had been carrying, how much I, you know, suppressed,” Haley said, recalling her decision to speak out publicly in October 2017. Her words—painful, raw, and unapologetically honest—may again prove pivotal in shaping the outcome of one of the most consequential criminal cases of the past decade.