On Monday there were emotional scenes during the trial against Harvey Weinstein (67) in New York. While the main witness, the alleged rape victim Jessica Mann (34), was cross-examined by Weinstein defender Donna Rotunno (44), the actress collapsed emotionally. After her incriminating testimony on Friday, the lawyer was now trying to question the credibility of the witness in court, which was obviously too much for a man, according to the New York Times.
Rotunno had Mann read an email to her, which she apparently wrote to her partner in 2014 after alleged abuse by Weinstein. In it she speaks of the fallen film mogul as a kind of father figure who would have given her a lot of confirmation. Mann also said in the email that she had been sexually abused long before she met Weinstein. As she read this mail, Mann burst into tears.
Nervous breakdown after negotiation?
Even after the judge let James Burke pause the session for a short pause, Mann didn't stop crying. Burke decided to end the session early. According to matching US media reports, Mann suffered a real nervous breakdown afterwards: she was hyperventilating and loud screams were heard from an adjacent room.
Previously, according to information from "USA Today", the defense lawyer went to court with the witness. She accused her of voluntarily starting a sexual relationship with Weinstein, although she had not found him attractive: "They liked the parties and they liked the power." Mann in turn said that the only reason she kept in touch with Weinstein after the alleged rape was because she was afraid for her career. She wanted to protect himself from his anger.