Harvey Weinstein's defense rests and announces he won't testify

(Image credit: JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images)

last updated 12 February 2020

The Harvey Weinstein rape trial is nearing the start of jury deliberations, as the defense has just rested its case.

Weinstein's defense did so in court Tuesday after announcing that the disgraced producer himself won't testify, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This came following four days of witness testimony.

Among those called by Weinstein's defense was Claudia Salinas, a model who on Monday denied accuser Lauren Young's previous testimony. Young told jurors that Weinstein groped her in a hotel bathroom and that Salinas closed the door behind them. "That's when I realized, 'this was set up, she put me in here,'" Young testified. Salinas testified that this "never happened" and that "if I had done that, I would remember that," the Associated Press reports. "I would never close the door on anybody," she also said. In a statement to the AP, Salinas called Young's account "fictitious and flat out untrue."

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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