A key accuser in the New York City rape trial of Harvey Weinstein broke down in tears on the witness stand during an exhaustive cross-examination over the nature of her relationship with the once-powerful movie mogul.
The drama, which prompted the judge to send the jury home about an hour earlier than usual, came as the defence on Monday sought to paint the 34-year-old woman as an opportunistic manipulator who took advantage of Weinstein while pursuing an acting career, even after he allegedly raped her.
The woman said she tried to make Weinstein "my pseudo father" after a rough upbringing. She said she sent him flattering emails and kept seeing him because "I wanted him to believe I wasn't a threat". "I was afraid of his unpredictable anger," the woman testified.
She became emotional while reading an email passage about being abused earlier in her life. It was part of a lengthy confessional email she sent to her then-boyfriend in May 2014 about her relationship with Weinstein.
She was bawling as she left the courtroom, and her cries could be heard from a nearby witness room.
She returned after about a 10-minute break, but continued to weep loudly, resting her head on the witness stand and blotting tears with a tissue. The lead prosecutor tried to consoling her, but she couldn't continue. Her cross-examination will resume Tuesday.
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"I remember the day I realized I was controlling my world because I was sexually assaulted and that story played out where I played into sexual dynamics with people to feel like I would never be taken advantage of again," she said, her voice quaking just before the judge halted the proceedings.
Weinstein lawyer Donna Rotunno, known for her criticism of the #MeToo movement, sought to shoot down the woman's rape allegation by zeroing in on her admission that she also had noncoerced sexual encounters with Weinstein that she said only happened after "a long negotiation". Even then, "I wasn't happy to do it," she said.
"You manipulated Mr Weinstein every single time, isn't that correct? Rotunno asked.
The woman responded: "I felt there was an aspect to the way I felt I needed to protect myself that had an element of manipulation."
At one point, Rotunno shot back: "You made a choice to have sexual encounters with Harvey Weinstein when you weren't sexually attracted to him...You liked the parties and you liked the power."
From the emails, it appeared the witness was still cutting Weinstein's hair in early 2014. In one January 2014 email, he wrote her: "That's the best haircut and trim I've gotten. I've gotten a million compliments. Thank you."
She wrote back: "Your the one who makes it look good with your smile and beautiful eyes!! But thank you that makes me so happy to hear :)"
"But you're not naive, are you?"
"Harvey was my father's age and he gave me all the validation I needed at that time," she said as she choked up, adding, "I tried to make him a pseudo father."
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