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Former "Project Runway" production assistant Miriam Haley took the stand again in Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein's retrial on April 29, 2025, after she accused the film producer of s*xual assault in 2020.
In October 2020, Haley filed a civil lawsuit against the producer after he was convicted of s*xually assaulting her at his Soho apartment in July 2006. The lawsuit levied claims of assault, battery, and violation of the New York City law against gender-motivated violence against Weinstein, wherein Haley was represented by Gloria Allred.
Harvey Weinstein's 2020 r*ped conviction was overturned in a 4-to-3 decision on April 25, 2024, by New York’s highest court, as reported by The Hindu on May 1, 2024. The state's Court of Appeals ordered a new trial, citing "egregious errors" in the judicial rulings and prejudicial testimony.
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According to a report by PBS dated April 29, 2025, Miriam Haley was reluctant to testify against Weinstein again, and she didn't even look at the Hollywood mogul as she entered the courtroom through a side door. However, Haley was compelled to face Weinstein when a prosecutor asked her to point him out in court.
While Haley has taken the stand in the second week of testimony in Harvey Weinstein's re-trial, 2 of her friends whom she had told about the reported assault testified last week.
More details about Miriam Haley's testimony at Harvey Weinstein's re-trial and previous lawsuit
According to The Guardian's account of Miriam Haley's testimony at Pulp Fiction producer's re-trial, the former "Project Runway" production assistant started speaking about her difficult upbringing in Sweden and Finland. She also talked about her interest in the performing arts and foray into the movie arena as an assistant to the late theatrical producer Michael White.
Reflecting on her previous testimony from 2020, Haley recalled going to Harvey Weinstein's hotel room to talk about potential jobs in the TV and movie business, which escalated to the producer talking about other things. At the time, Weinstein suggested that they massage each other, which made the production assistant burst into tears.
Describing how she felt at the time, Haley said:
“I felt taken aback. I felt humiliated,” she testified. “It was just kind of like a sinking feeling that he wasn’t taking me seriously at all.”
At this point, Manhattan prosecutor Nicole Blumberg asked Haley if she was "romantically or s*xually" interested in Weinstein, and she was quick to deny the same, stating that she was there to find work.
After multiple incidents of being in contact with the Hollywood mogul, Miriam Haley accepted an invitation from Weinstein to fly her to California in July 2006 for the premiere of Clerks 2. A day before Haley was supposed to fly to L.A. to meet her friend who was expecting, the producer invited her to his Soho, New York apartment.
Miriam Haley claimed that after having a normal conversation at this apartment, Weinstein tried to make a move on her and backed her into a bedroom, resulting in her falling on the bed. She denied his attempt and mentioned she was on her period to make the producer stop. Haley realized nobody would hear her scream and that she could escape by sprinting for the elevator, however, that is when Harvey Weinstein "performed a forcible s*x act on her".
As per details of her 2020 lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in New York, reported by Variety in October 2020, Miriam Haley's attorney stated:
“Weinstein’s sexual attack on Ms. Haley scarred her deeply, mentally and emotionally. It stripped her of her dignity as a human being and as a woman. It crushed her confidence and faith in people and in herself.”
Before the judgment was overturned, Harvey Weinstein was convicted and subjected to a 23-year prison sentence based on Miriam Haley's testimony at the 2020 trial.
