Harvey Weinstein has enlisted the legal services of Luigi Mangione and attorneys associated with Sean “Diddy” Combs to defend him in his upcoming third New York rape trial. This move comes as Weinstein opted not to resolve the case through a guilty plea and decided to revamp his legal team.
The new legal team, consisting of Jacob Kaplan, Marc Agnifilo, and Teny Geragos, has been confirmed in court documents filed on Tuesday. They are taking over from Weinstein’s previous attorney, Arthur Aidala, who will now focus on the ex-studio executive’s appeals and civil matters.
Kaplan, a former member of Weinstein’s original defense team in 2018, is expected to play a significant role in the third trial. This trial centers on allegations that Weinstein raped hairstylist and actress Jessica Mann in a Manhattan hotel in 2013.
During a recent court hearing, Weinstein maintained his innocence, stating that he had never assaulted anyone and expressing the toll that nearly six years of incarceration had taken on him.
The trial, originally set to commence on March 3, has been postponed without a rescheduled date. Weinstein is scheduled to appear in court on March 4 for a status update. The changes in his legal representation were first reported by the legal publication Law360.
Kaplan and Agnifilo are also representing Mangione in separate state and federal cases related to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Their legal efforts have resulted in the dismissal of terrorism charges in the state case and the exclusion of the death penalty in the federal case.
Agnifilo and Geragos have previously defended Combs against sex trafficking and racketeering charges, achieving a mixed outcome with some charges being acquitted. They are currently part of the defense team for the Alexander brothers in a sex trafficking trial in Manhattan federal court.
Weinstein’s spokesperson, Juda Engelmayer, stated that Weinstein believes a fresh perspective and strategic approach are necessary after two prior trials. In the previous trial, Weinstein was convicted of one charge involving Miriam Haley, acquitted of another involving Kaja Sokola, and faced a hung jury on the rape charge related to Mann.
The retrial verdict was contested by Weinstein and his legal team, citing issues of juror misconduct. However, Judge Curtis Farber, who will preside over the third trial, affirmed the fairness of the proceedings during a hearing in January.
Weinstein’s initial convictions in 2020 were overturned by New York’s highest court due to prejudicial testimony. The retrial was ordered, leading to the recent developments in Weinstein’s legal representation.
As Weinstein faces potentially lengthy prison sentences, his legal team continues to navigate a series of high-profile cases, including the upcoming trial for Mangione in June. The timing of Weinstein’s trial may be influenced by these concurrent legal proceedings.
Weinstein, who has been in prison since his 2020 conviction, is also appealing a separate case in California.
