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Harvey Weinstein's retrial for his r*pe case in New York hit a road bump after jury selection proved to be difficult. On April 15, 2025, many potential jurors were dismissed after they willingly revealed they had a conflict with the case, either because it coincided with any business or personal engagement or it obstructed their ability to remain impartial due to the nature of the case.
For the unversed, in April 2024, a New York court allowed for a retrial regarding Harvey Weinstein's r*pe case, stating that the initial trial in 2020 was unfair because other accusers whom he was not charged with assaulting also testified.
While appealing for a retrial, Arthur Aidala, Harvey Weinstein's attorney, said his client was denied a "fair trial" after being made the "poster boy" for the #MeToo movement, adding:
“It was his character that was on trial — it wasn’t the evidence that was on trial. This is a case of a man courting a woman.”
Arthur Aidala is the managing partner of Aidala, Bertuna & Kamins in NYC. His roster included a high-profile list of clients like multi-millionaire Abe Hirshfield and Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's partner.
Arthur Aidala has over three decades of experience in criminal law
According to his IMDb profile, Arthur Aidala was born in New York in 1950. As per his LinkedIn profile, he attended Poly Prep Country Day School and earned his bachelor's degree in political science at Purchase College in 1989. He earned his J.D. in 1992 at CUNY School of Law.
Aidala's law career began in 1993 when he was appointed as Kings County's Senior Assistant District Attorney. After working there for 4 years, he started his law firm, Aidala, Bertuna and Kamins in 1997, where he is currently the managing partner.
"In his capacity as the Managing Partner of the Aidala, Bertuna & Kamins, PC law firm, Mr. Aidala oversees every aspect of the practice, including all of the criminal cases, civil litigation, as well as corporate matters," reads his profile on the firm's website.
Aidala's career in criminal law spans over three decades. He has handled several white-collar cases, including RICO violations, bank fraud, embezzlement, and extortion, among others.
Along with his legal career, Aidala has also appeared on various Fox News shows, serving as a legal analyst for the network since 2005. He is also the host of The Arthur Aidala Power Hour, a radio show on AM970 The Answer from Mondays through Fridays. He is also a regular on CNN NewsNight and the NewsNation show "CUOMO."
On a personal front, Aidala and his wife, Marianne Bertuna, have been married since 2004, and the couple share three children. The Aidala family lives in Brooklyn.
An overview of the jury selection at Harvey Weinstein's retrial
During the jury selection for Harvey Weinstein's retrial on April 15, several potential jurors refused to participate in the case, with many acknowledging that they would not help facilitate a fair trial. According to Vulture, a group of potential jurors was gathered at the New York court, where they were asked if they had any family or work commitments that would hinder their participation and if the nature of the crime would be problematic for them.
Several raised their hands at the questions and were dismissed before another group of potential jurors was brought in for the same line of questioning. The second batch reportedly did not yield any positive answers, with one woman audibly remarking, "Wow" after hearing the name of the case.
Actor Mark Axelowitz, one of the potential jurors, revealed why he did not want to participate in the trial, dubbing Harvey Weinstein a "really bad guy." Another candidate, a woman, said she had been the victim of s*xual assault, while a third said they found it hard to be impartial.
According to AP News, a panel of 12 jurors plus six alternates would be picked during the jury selection. Around 80 potential jurors are brought in at a time for a screening, which includes the question about impartiality and whether the timing of the trial interferes with any work or personal commitments.
Those selected are moved to the jury box 24 at a time. They are asked additional questions, and the lawyers from either side are then granted 40 minutes to further question the jurors. The lawyers are allowed to ask the judge to dismiss any juror they deem unfit for the case.
The jury selection for Harvey Weinstein's case is expected to last four or five days, with the trial scheduled to start sometime next week.
Harvey Weinstein will be retried on three counts, including "two of a criminal s*xual act in the first degree and one of r*pe in the third degree." The charges relate to alleged assaults on three women, two of whom were already involved in the first trial.
Jessica Mann, one of the alleged victims who testified during the first trial, had accused the producer of r*ping her at a Midtown East hotel in 2012. The other alleged victim, Mimi Haleyi, testified that Harvey Weinstein forced her to perform oral s*x on him at her Soho apartment in 2006.
The new alleged victim, referred to as Jane Doe, accused Harvey Weinstein of s*xually assaulting her at a Manhattan hotel in 2006. Doe did not testify during Weinstein's first trial.
According to AP News, Harvey Weinstein, aged 72, is also trying to appeal his 2022 Los Angeles conviction, where he was sentenced to 16 years after being found guilty of r*pe and s*xual assault.
