Weinstein Accuser Breaks Down in Tears During Intense Cross-Examination

The first accuser to testify against Harvey Weinstein at his Manhattan retrial finished two days of cross-examination Friday, defending her account in court sessions punctuated by tears and shouting.

The woman, Miriam Haley, has said that Mr. Weinstein, evvel a powerful movie producer, sexually assaulted her nearly 20 years ago after inviting her to his SoHo apartment to “say hi” the night before they were scheduled to attend a premiere in Los Angeles.

Shortly after she arrived that afternoon, July 10, 2006, Ms. Haley testified, he backed her into a bedroom, forced her onto a bed, held her down and forcibly put his mouth on her vagina.

On Thursday and Friday, one of Mr. Weinstein’s lawyers, Jennifer Bonjean, pressed Ms. Haley on the details of her accusations, trying to cast doubt on her recollection. Ms. Bonjean questioned Ms. Haley about what she had worn on the night in question: Had she worn jeans?

“It’s possible, but I don’t remember him ripping jeans off,” Ms. Haley answered.

When Ms. Bonjean asked whether Ms. Haley remembered Mr. Weinstein ripping “something else off,” Ms. Haley responded that he had yanked out her tampon.

“I didn’t take my clothes off,” Ms. Haley said, her voice cracking before she added, “He raped me. I didn’t arrive naked.”