Harvey Weinstein denied to testify in court in his ongoing criminal case; here's what we know

Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced Hollywood producer, has refused to testify in court as part of his criminal case. While he wanted to take the stand and express his side of the case, the lawyers advised him not to.

Why is Harvey Weinstein not going to justify?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Arthur Aidala, Weinstein’s attorney, revealed to the reporters that the 73-year-old is seriously contemplating the decision of telling his side of the story by testifying in court. However, the team confirmed on Monday that the producer would not as it would open up to an undue risk.

“He’s not hiding, and we’re not shielding him. He wants to testify, and we respect that. But the courtroom isn’t just about truth — it’s also strategy,” the spokesperson of Weinstein, Juda Engelmayer, revealed.

As the court does not hold sessions on Monday, the closing arguments will be said on Tuesday, June 3, where the defence is expected to rest the case, after the opening arguments began on April 23.

What are the charges against Harvey Weinstein?Weinstein is facing three serious criminal charges of sexual abuse and assault by three women. A former production assistant on ‘Project Runway,’ Miriam Haley, and Former model Kaja Sokola allege that he forced them into a sexual act, and an aspiring actress, Jessica Mann, alleges that he forced himself on her and assaulted her.

The last witness of the case...
Similar to his trial in 2020, Harvey Weinstein chose not to take a stand, and manager Thomas Richards Lozano was called as the last witness on Friday. Lozano gave a similar testimony as well, where he stated that he travelled with Jessica Mann and had breakfast with Harvey, without witnessing anything wrong.

“Several of the events of this trial have been a repeat of 2020, sometimes word-for-word,” the outlet reported.