Jury selection at Harvey Weinstein's New York City rape trail has resumed a day after supermodel Gigi Hadid caused a stir by emerging as a potential juror
January 14, 2020, 4:45 PM
2 min read
NEW YORK -- Jury selection at Harvey Weinstein's New York City rape trail resumed Tuesday, a day after supermodel Gigi Hadid caused a stir by emerging as a potential juror.
Hundreds of people have been summoned for an initial screening process that has so far stretched over six days. About 110 prospective jurors were assembled Tuesday in a Manhattan courtroom where a judge asked them if they could be impartial.
After reporting for duty on Monday, Hadid disclosed in court she had met both Weinstein and actress Salma Hayek, a potential witness. But the model, who lives in Manhattan and studied criminal psychology at The New School, told the judge she thinks she'd be able to “keep an open mind on the facts."
So far, around 140 people have been invited back for a second round of questioning, but some of them, such as Hadid, could still be eliminated based on how they have answered written questionnaires.
Weinstein, 67, is accused of raping a woman in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013 and sexually assaulting another in 2006.
The former studio boss behind such Oscar winners as “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespeare in Love” has said any sexual activity was consensual.
Both sides hope to deliver opening statements before the end of the month. The trial is expected to last into March.
If convicted, Weinstein could face life in prison.
