Harvey Weinstein has enlisted the legal services of Luigi Mangione and attorneys associated with Sean “Diddy” Combs to represent him in his upcoming third New York rape trial. This decision marks a shift in Weinstein’s legal representation as he opted out of resolving the case through a guilty plea.
The new legal team comprising Jacob Kaplan, Marc Agnifilo, and Teny Geragos was confirmed in court documents filed on Tuesday. They have taken over from Weinstein’s previous attorney, Arthur Aidala, who has transitioned to focusing on Weinstein’s appeals and ongoing civil matters.
Kaplan, a former member of Weinstein’s original defense team in 2018, is anticipated to play a prominent role in the third trial, which centers on allegations that Weinstein sexually assaulted hairstylist and actress Jessica Mann at a Manhattan hotel in 2013.
During a court appearance in January, Weinstein vehemently denied any wrongdoing, asserting that he had never assaulted anyone and expressing the toll his extended confinement had taken on him.
The trial, originally scheduled to commence on March 3, has been postponed without a new date set. Weinstein is expected to appear in court for a status conference on March 4. Reports of the legal team restructuring were first disclosed by the legal publication Law360.
Kaplan and Agnifilo are also representing Mangione in separate state and federal cases related to the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Their legal efforts have resulted in the dismissal of terrorism charges in the state case and the prohibition of the death penalty in the federal case.
Agnifilo and Geragos, who previously defended Combs in cases involving sex trafficking and racketeering charges, are currently part of the defense team representing wealthy siblings Alon, Oren, and Tal Alexander in a sex trafficking trial at a Manhattan federal court.
All three attorneys, Kaplan, Agnifilo, and Geragos, are partners at the Manhattan-based law firm Agnifilo Intrater.
According to Weinstein’s spokesperson Juda Engelmayer, Weinstein believes that a fresh perspective and strategic approach are crucial for navigating through his legal challenges after two previous trials on the matter.
In a complex outcome from the last trial in June, Weinstein was convicted of one count of forced oral sex on Miriam Haley, acquitted of another similar charge involving Kaja Sokola, and the jury did not reach a verdict on the rape accusation concerning Mann due to a deadlock among jurors.
The Associated Press typically refrains from identifying individuals who claim to be victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Haley, Sokola, and Mann have done.
Weinstein and his legal team contended that the trial’s outcome was marred by internal conflicts and intimidation among jurors. However, Judge Curtis Farber, who presided over the trial and will oversee the upcoming proceedings, rebuffed these claims, affirming that Weinstein had received a fair trial.
Weinstein’s initial convictions in 2020, which included rape and forced oral sex charges, were overturned by New York’s highest court, leading to a retrial ordered last year. The Court of Appeals ruled that Weinstein had been prejudiced by extraneous testimony not relevant to the case.
Weinstein and Aidala, who handled the appeal and represented Weinstein in previous trials, reached a mutual agreement regarding Aidala’s new role in the legal team.
The current workload of Kaplan, Agnifilo, and Geragos, including Mangione’s upcoming state trial scheduled for June 8, may impact the timing of Weinstein’s trial. Despite having only Mann as the accuser, prosecutors anticipate the trial could last up to five weeks.
Weinstein faces a potential maximum prison sentence of 25 years for the criminal sex act conviction involving Haley. The unresolved rape charge involving Mann carries a maximum penalty of four years, which is less than the time Weinstein has already spent in custody.
Weinstein has been incarcerated since his initial conviction in 2020 and is serving a prison sentence in a separate California case, which he is currently appealing.