Overview

• Jury selection concluded with twelve jurors and six alternates, following extensive vetting to ensure impartiality in the high-profile case.
• Prosecutor Shannon Lucey emphasized Weinstein's abuse of power and refusal to accept rejection during opening statements, framing the case around his influence over vulnerable victims.
• Defense attorney Arthur Aidala argued that the encounters were consensual, describing them as transactional and citing emails from the accusers as evidence.
• Weinstein, appearing in a wheelchair due to health issues, has been permitted to stay in a hospital rather than prison during the trial, which is expected to run through the end of May.
• The retrial comes after the New York Court of Appeals vacated Weinstein's 2020 conviction, citing improper inclusion of testimony from non-indicted victims, raising questions about procedural fairness and the handling of victim testimony.