Has Harvey Weinsteins Legal Team Fallen Apart (Again)?
Harvey Weinsteins legal team has reportedly fallen apart again, just six months after it was formed...
Harvey Weinsteins legal team has reportedly fallen apart again, just six months after it was formed. According to the New York Times, four of the star lawyers who were tapped to represent Weinstein during his upcoming Manhattan trial—which revolves around sexual assault charges filed against Weinstein by the Manhattan District Attorneys office—have since withdrawn from the case. Weinstein, who has denied the sexual assault allegations, was previously represented by Benjamin Brafman, who withdrew from the case in January.
Those key lawyers who have since bowed out of Weinsteins are partners Jose Baez (who previously handled cases for Casey Anthony and Aaron Hernandez) and Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., as well as Pamela Robillard Mackey and Duncan Levin. Weinstein is still being represented by three lawyers, the Times noted: Arthur Aidala, Marianne Bertuna, and Diana Fabi Samson, all of whom were brought on by Baez.
Per the Times, Sullivan, a law professor and a faculty dean of an undergraduate house at Harvard University, resigned from the case because of a conflict with his teaching schedule. He also received backlash from Harvard students after originally joining Weinsteins defense team. Baez followed, reportedly after clashing with Weinstein over trial prep. The lawyer is also working on an ongoing securities fraud trial in Brooklyn, the Times reported.
“Mr. Weinstein has been aware since at least May 15 that it was very unlikely that I would be able to continue on this case,” Baez said in a letter to Justice James Burke on Friday, the Times said. Representatives for Baez have not yet responded to Vanity Fairs request for comment. Reps for Weinstein had no comment.
Weinsteins trial is set to start on September 9. The former Hollywood power player fell from grace in October 2017, with dozens of women stepping forward to claim that he sexually assaulted or was sexually inappropriate toward them. Weinstein, who denied all of the allegations of nonconsensual acts, has since been the subject of numerous lawsuits, recently reaching a $44 million settlement with former Weinstein Company board members and the New York Attorney Generals office regarding sexual misconduct lawsuits filed against him by numerous women.
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