Former production assistant Mimi Haleyi took the stand Monday as the second Harvey Weinstein accuser to testify in his rape trial, telling the jury he sexually assaulted her in 2006.
Haleyi, who worked as a production assistant on the Weinstein Company-produced Project Runway, alleges Weinstein forcibly performed oral sex on her in his New York apartment, testifying that she "rejected him" but "every time I tried to get off the bed, he would push me back and hold me down," per The Hollywood Reporter.
"I was mortified," Haleyi said. "I was just crying, 'No!' I kept trying to tell him, 'No, don't go there' ... I was in such shock that I just checked out."
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Haleyi came forward with her allegation against Weinstein in 2017. She told jurors she didn't call the police after the alleged assault, as Weinstein "has a lot more power and resources and connections" and "I didn't think I would really stand a chance." Two weeks later, Haleyi testified she met Weinstein at the Tribeca Grand Hotel and, in his room, he "just took my hand and pulled me toward the bed."
"I just laid there," she said. "He had intercourse with me. ... I was laying there motionless. I felt numb."
Weinstein is facing rape and sexual assault charges stemming from Haleyi's allegation and the allegation of another woman who says he raped her in 2013. Six accusers are expected to testify during the trial, the first of whom took the stand last week. Actress Annabella Sciorra said Weinstein raped her in the early 1990s, and Rosie Perez later testified that Sciorra told her about the alleged rape.
Weinstein has pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations of non-consensual sex acts. If convicted, he faces possible life in prison.
