Jessica Mann — a key witness in Harvey Weinstein’s rape trial who alleges the former movie mogul raped and sexually assaulted her on numerous occasions — was let off the stand on Monday when she said she was having a panic attack during cross-examination.
After being questioned for five hours by Weinstein’s attorney Donna Rotunno, the judge cut Mann’s testimony short, releasing the jury a few minutes before 4 p.m. on Monday in New York City Criminal Court, which is typically in session until at least 4:30 p.m.
Mann walked off the stand wiping away her tears. Shortly after, lead prosecutor Joan Illuzzi from the Manhattan D.A.’s office followed her into the witness room.
Mann first appeared in court last Friday to begin her testimony, and continued Monday with cross-examination. She is expected to return Tuesday to be questioned again by Rotunno.
No other witness throughout the trial has been on the stand for longer than six hours, contained in one single day.
Last Friday, Mann was crying uncontrollably and her testimony was cut short by Justice James Burke with Illuzzi helping her off the stand. Before Burke dismissed court earlier than planned Monday afternoon, Mann asked for a quick break earlier in the day, stating that she was “a little foggy” and wanted to collect herself.
Throughout the grueling cross-examination on Monday, Mann had trouble nailing down an exact timeline for the specific events, which Rotunno pressed her on repeatedly, noting the importance of the dates and times of the alleged sexual assaults. Many times throughout questioning (when it’s protocol for witnesses to give a yes-or-no answer), Mann wanted to give a longer explanation and told Rotunno, “We have not talked about why.”
Mann testified that Weinstein violently sexually abused and raped her on multiple occasions. Her explosive testimony provided insight into Weinstein’s alleged interest in degrading sexual acts, including giving her a “golden shower,” talking “dirty” about his fantasies, comparing her to other “kinky” actresses and repeatedly asking to film her during sex. Mann recalled Weinstein saying, “Do you like my big, fat Jewish d—?” She also revealed that the first time she saw Weinstein naked, she thought he was deformed and intersex, saying, “He does not have testicles and it appears like he has a vagina.”
Three of the five charges against Weinstein stem from Mann’s allegations — two counts of rape and one count of predatory sexual assault.
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