8.3.18 Weinstein Motion
8.3.18 Weinstein Motion
8.3.18 Weinstein Motion
NOTICE OF MOTION
-against- Indictment No. 2335/2018
HARVEY WEINSTEIN,
Defendant.
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PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that upon the annexed affirmation of Benjamin Brafman, Esq.,
duly affirmed on the 3rd day of August, 2018, upon the indictment, exhibits, supporting papers and
all proceedings herein, defendant Harvey Weinstein will move this Court on September 20, 2018,
ATTORNEY AFFIRMATION
-against- Indictment No. 2335/2018
HARVEY WEINSTEIN,
Defendant.
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BENJAMIN BRAFMAN, attorney at law, duly admitted to practice in the courts of New
York State, affirms the following to be true under the penalty of perjury:
1. I am Principal of the law firm BRAFMAN & ASSOCIATES, P.C., attorneys for
defendant Harvey Weinstein. I make this affirmation in support of a motion dated August 3, 2018,
whereby respective orders are sought pursuant to C.P.L. §§ 210.20(1)(b) and 210.30, dismissing
the indictment herein, or parts thereof, or reducing same, on various grounds, and granting such
other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper.
2. This affirmation is made upon information and belief. The basis for such
information and the grounds for such belief are the prior court proceedings, materials previously
disclosed by the District Attorney’s Office, information disclosed in court by the District
Attorney’s Office, applicable legal authorities and those other records and materials constituting
counsel’s file herein, including emails between Mr. Weinstein and the alleged rape victim in the
indictment and, where appropriate, public statements made by one or more of the alleged victims
A. OVERVIEW
crimes of Predatory Sexual Assault (Penal Law § 130.95(2)) (Counts One and Three), Criminal
Sexual Act in the First Degree (Penal Law § 130.50(1)) (Counts Two and Six), Rape in the First
Degree (Penal Law § 130.35(1)) (Count Four) and Rape in the Third Degree (Penal Law §
District Attorney’s Office into alleged misconduct by Mr. Weinstein. Based on published reports,
the District Attorney’s Office conducted its investigation amidst overwhelming pressure from the
media, politicians and high-ranking police officials demanding the arrest of Mr. Weinstein,
including, but not limited to, a November 2017 mock up of a “wanted” poster for Mr. Weinstein
published on the cover of the New York Post. (Exhibit 1: Cover, N.Y. Post, Nov. 4, 2017).
5. Six months later, with no opportunity being given to Mr. Weinstein’s counsel to
respond to the allegations or present evidence of Mr. Weinstein’s innocence, the District Attorney
sought a single first-degree rape charge against Mr. Weinstein (relying on a complaining witness,
CW-1,1 who, the facts would reveal, had in fact been in a long-term, consensual, intimate
relationship with Mr. Weinstein). A second sexual assault charge was also sought relating to Lucia
1
Counsel for Mr. Weinstein has, to date, agreed not to identify the complaining witness in Counts
Three, Four and Five of the indictment. Accordingly, we refer to this complaining witness as CW-
1 and both her name and email address have been redacted from the attached exhibits, which
include dozens of emails from among the approximately 400 communications between Mr.
Weinstein and the accuser which continued for weeks and years after the alleged rape.
2
Evans (who claims to have no memory of when, during a three-month time span in 2004, she was
6. Weeks later, the District Attorney filed a superseding indictment combining Lucia
Evans and CW-1 with a third alleged victim, Mimi Haleyi, who claims that Mr. Weinstein
assaulted her in 2006, and who not only waited nearly eleven years before making any claim to
the authorities, but only did so after sending out a press release and holding a press conference
orchestrated by her attorney Gloria Allred (who is observed on film at the press conference
7. Mr. Weinstein categorically denies that he had non-consensual sex with any person,
and specifically the three accusers in the pending indictment. As will be argued below and in the
attached Memorandum of Law, the pending indictment against Mr. Weinstein must be dismissed
at the pretrial stage because it is legally infirm based on the District Attorney’s failure to provide
exculpatory email evidence to the Grand Jury; failure to give adequate notice to the defense as
requested that it was presenting new, far more serious charges to the Grand Jury; failure to indicate
with sufficient specificity when the alleged crime in Count Six occurred; failure to prosecute Count
Five within the five-year Statute of Limitations; and failure to provide the Grand Jury with
sufficient evidence of the legally required element of force, as well as other Grand Jury
deficiencies.
8. In October 2017, the District Attorney’s Office began an investigation into claims
of sexual assault by Mr. Weinstein. Counsel for Mr. Weinstein had numerous discussions with the
District Attorney’s Office during the investigation and formally informed the prosecutors in both
3
October and December of 2017, by way of a C.P.L. § 190.50 letter, that Mr. Weinstein intended
to testify before the Grand Jury that would ultimately hear this matter and would also ask the Grand
Jury to consider other evidence as well. Counsel was adamant in asserting Mr. Weinstein’s right
to testify before the Grand Jury based not just on Mr. Weinstein’s and counsel’s insistence that he
was innocent of any criminal conduct but also on counsel’s belief in the existence of email and
other documentary evidence that would corroborate Mr. Weinstein’s non-criminal, consensual,
intimate relationships and directly refute the claims made by many of the known accusers.
9. On May 16, 2018, counsel again served written C.P.L. § 190.50(5)(a) notice and
requested that the District Attorney’s Office provide specific information regarding the nature and
scope of the Grand Jury investigation so that counsel could adequately prepare Mr. Weinstein for
his Grand Jury testimony. (Exhibit 2: Brafman May 16, 2018 Letter at 1-4). Without such notice
and information, counsel argued, Mr. Weinstein would have “no idea as to what specific charges
he must address in his potential testimony.” (Id. at 1). Counsel also noted that this additional
information was necessary to determine whether the defense would offer witnesses to the Grand
10. On May 22, 2018, the District Attorney’s Office refused to provide counsel with
any additional information regarding the nature and scope of the Grand Jury investigation.
Specifically, by withholding identification of CW-1 as the individual making the rape claim, the
District Attorney’s Office refused to allow Mr. Weinstein’s counsel to make any pre-charging
11. Then, in its rush to prosecute Mr. Weinstein and while a Grand Jury in the matter
was actively convened, on May 25, 2018, the District Attorney charged Mr. Weinstein in a felony
complaint (not an indictment) with the crimes of Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree (Penal
4
Law § 130.50(1)), Rape in the First Degree (Penal Law § 130.35(1)) and Rape in the Third Degree
12. At the felony complaint arraignment on Friday, May 25, 2018, the District
Attorney’s Office informed counsel that Mr. Weinstein would have the opportunity to testify
before the Grand Jury, but if he wanted to do so, he must appear on May 30, 2018, less than two
13. Subsequently, counsel requested that Your Honor adjourn Mr. Weinstein’s
scheduled appearance before the Grand Jury so as to allow the defense to obtain the exculpatory
email evidence known to exist, which would establish that the alleged rape victim in the felony
complaint (CW-1) had in fact been in a long-term, consensual, intimate relationship with Mr.
Weinstein and never made any indication in any of her numerous communications with Mr.
Weinstein that she believed she had been assaulted at any time. Counsel stressed to the Court at
the time that the emails were particularly important in a first-degree rape case as Mr. Weinstein’s
entire life hangs in the balance. Counsel further noted that an adjournment would allow the defense
to obtain the emails known to exist (but inaccessible at that time to Mr. Weinstein) and provide
them to the District Attorney’s Office, which would then be obligated by law to ask the Grand Jury
if it wanted to hear that evidence. The People opposed, and the Court denied counsel’s adjournment
request.2
2
Counsel’s request for an adjournment was necessary in order to petition the Court in Delaware,
in which The Weinstein Company (TWC) bankruptcy was pending, for approval of production of
Mr. Weinstein’s two relevant emails accounts, which were being held by the Trustee. It was only
after counsel for Mr. Weinstein presented a due process argument that the Bankruptcy Court issued
a production order and established a protocol that would permit Mr. Weinstein and his counsel
access to the emails that would, in counsel’s judgment, exculpate Mr. Weinstein by corroborating
5
14. Given the Court’s ruling, counsel informed the District Attorney’s Office that Mr.
Weinstein would be unable to testify in the Grand Jury relating to the charges in the felony
complaint as he would not have sufficient time to properly prepare for his testimony, nor would
15. Shortly thereafter, on May 30, 2018, the Grand Jury indicted Mr. Weinstein for the
same three charges in the felony complaint, including the forcible rape of CW-1.
16. Four weeks later, on July 2, 2018, the District Attorney filed a superseding
indictment charging Mr. Weinstein with the crimes of Predatory Sexual Assault (Penal Law §
130.95(2)) (Counts One and Three), Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree (Penal Law §
130.50(1)) (Counts Two and Six), Rape in the First Degree (Penal Law § 130.35(1)) (Count Four)
and Rape in the Third Degree (Penal Law § 130.25(1)) (Count Five). These newly-added Predatory
Sexual Assault charges are Class A-II felonies that carry an indeterminate minimum sentence of
with the prosecutors about bail in which they indicated they were already aware of CW-1’s email
exchanges with Mr. Weinstein. Counsel has no information, however, that the District Attorney in
that he was in a long-term, consensual, intimate relationship with CW-1 both at the time and after
the claimed sexual assault. (Exhibit 3: Brafman May 3, 2018 Affirmation).
The Bankruptcy Court recognized the fundamental fairness in giving Mr. Weinstein access
to this admittedly exculpatory material. But this Court denied even a brief adjournment of the
Grand Jury proceedings so as to allow the Grand Jurors the option of considering this exculpatory
material that may well have caused them to not indict Mr. Weinstein for the forcible rape of CW-
1–a woman who shortly after the alleged rape communicated directly with Mr. Weinstein, her
alleged rapist, in the most warm, complimentary and solicitous terms.
6
fact presented the Grand Jury with any of these exculpatory emails prior to asking the Grand Jury
18. In the face of outside pressure and political influences, the District Attorney
presented the Grand Jury with an alleged rape victim who claimed to have been forcibly raped by
Mr. Weinstein on March 18, 2013 in New York City, but the District Attorney likely did so without
presenting the actual and complete communications between the parties. This flawed presentation,
we submit, knowingly allowed the Grand Jury to receive a materially incomplete picture of the
evidence known to exist in this case, namely the long-term, consensual, intimate relationship
between CW-1 (the alleged victim) and Mr. Weinstein. If so, this created a false impression that
this alleged incident in 2013 was either the last sexual contact between CW-1 and Mr. Weinstein
and/or that CW-1 exhibited some indication that she had been assaulted or victimized by Mr.
Weinstein in the weeks and months following March 18, 2013. What is apparent instead is that the
prosecutors already knew that CW-1 and Mr. Weinstein had a long-term, consensual, intimate
relationship at the time of the alleged rape and that it continued for years after.
19. Indeed, the pressure on the District Attorney to indict Mr. Weinstein was
unprecedented, involving the outspoken public statements from the then Chief of Detectives
Robert Boyce predicting the imminent arrest of Mr. Weinstein for the rape of Paz de la Huerta,
(Exhibit 4: Rocco Parascandola And Larry Mcshane, NYPD has ‘actual’ rape case against Harvey
Weinstein, N.Y. Daily News, Nov. 4, 2017), and repeating his public berating of District Attorney
Cyrus Vance for months before Mr. Weinstein was actually arrested, most notably, not for any
Governor Cuomo appointing then Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to investigate the District
Attorney’s failure to prosecute Mr. Weinstein for an alleged groping claim in 2015 (even after
overwhelming evidence was presented establishing that the accuser had previously made other
false claims of sexual assault) and for his continuing failure to prosecute Mr. Weinstein for any of
the sexual assault claims heralded in several scathing articles that appeared in national media
outlets.
21. To make matters even worse, a front-page story in the May 27, 2018 edition of the
New York Times proclaimed that Mr. Vance’s continued position as the District Attorney of New
York County depended in large measure on his successful prosecution and conviction of Harvey
Weinstein. (Exhibit 5: James C. McKinley Jr., Harvey Weinstein’s Arrest May Define Manhattan
D.A.’s Legacy, N.Y. Times, May 27, 2018). The article went so far as to also hypothesize that Mr.
Vance’s legacy would be permanently tarnished and his reputation destroyed if he did not bow to
22. Mr. Vance’s office then inexplicably authorized Mr. Weinstein’s arrest on five-year
and fourteen-year old alleged assaults, even though neither case is corroborated by any physical
or forensic evidence. Thus, Mr. Weinstein was indicted for an alleged act of forcible oral sex by
someone who claims she does not remember when it occurred and asserts only that it was
purportedly sometime during a three-month period in 2004, nearly fourteen years ago. He was also
indicted for the rape of CW-1, whose extensive communications and contact immediately
following the now claimed forcible rape instead reflect a consensual, intimate relationship with
Mr. Weinstein in an exchange of more than 400 warm, complimentary and solicitous emails with
an alleged rapist for more than four years after the alleged rape, never once in those
8
communications claiming to have ever been harmed by Mr. Weinstein. (Copies of only some of
the email exchanges are set out below and also attached as exhibits).
23. Specifically, upon information and belief, at the time of its Grand Jury presentation,
the People purportedly had emails between CW-1 and Mr. Weinstein that, at the very least, on
their face appeared inconsistent with the allegation that Mr. Weinstein had forcibly raped CW-1
in March 2013.3 For example, in the weeks and months after the March 2013 alleged rape, CW-1
sent Mr. Weinstein–her alleged rapist–a slew of emails which would appear to contradict that CW-
1 ever believed she had been forcibly raped weeks earlier, including the following CW-1 sent
directly to Mr. Weinstein: “[I] hope to see you sooner than[] later. . . .” (Exhibit 6: April 11, 2013
Email); “I appreciate all you do for me, it shows” (Exhibit 7: April 12, 2013 Email); “It would be
great to see you again, and catch up!” (Exhibit 8: April 17, 2013 Email); “It would mean a lot [] if
we could catch up over a drink then” (Exhibit 9: April 21, 2013 Email); and “Miss you big guy.”
24. Certainly, the Grand Jury should have been given the opportunity to review the
messages that CW-1 emailed Mr. Weinstein within a month of the alleged rape and also to learn
that, only months after the alleged rape, CW-1 was looking for some private time with Mr.
Weinstein to discuss her life and “catch up,” writing: “I was hoping for some time privately with
you to share the direction I am going in life and catch up because its been awhile.” (Exhibit 11:
August 16, 2013 Email). The Grand Jury should have been given the ability to credit or discredit
3
The prejudice is still manifest if the People did not in fact have possession of the emails but
merely told the Grand Jury about CW-1’s relationship with Mr. Weinstein. Indeed, having been
notified about the existence of the exculpatory emails by Mr. Weinstein’s counsel, the People
should have consented to the short adjournment as there was no urgency, based on the Statute of
Limitations or otherwise, to indict Mr. Weinstein on five-year-old charges on which he was already
arrested.
9
CW-1’s rape allegation by evaluating her allegations in the truthful context of the communications
and contact she had with Mr. Weinstein, including, but not limited to, the fact that less than two
months after her alleged rape, she chose to communicate with her alleged rapist by calling him
“Dear,” telling him that she is “Thinking” of him. (Exhibit 12: May 6, 2013 Email).
25. There exists a myriad of compelling examples of emails that CW-1 sent Mr.
Weinstein in the weeks and months after the alleged rape in March 2013 that reasonably could be
understood by the Grand Jury as far more consistent with an ongoing warm, friendly, relationship
(fundamentally inconsistent with any forcible rape having occurred) than communications
Exhibit 14 August 27, 2013 “I got a new number. Just wanted you to have it.
Hope you are well and call me anytime, always good
to hear your voice.”
Exhibit 15 October 22, 2013 “By the way I was so happy you saw me today! Very
honored. Talk soon.”
Exhibit 16 January 5, 2014 “Your the one who makes it look good with your smile
and beautiful eyes!!”
26. Moreover, additional email exchanges further demonstrate how CW-1 arranged to
meet with Mr. Weinstein on numerous occasions after the alleged rape, conduct that could
reasonably be understood as inconsistent with the manner in which a victim of a violent assault
Exhibit 17 April 19, 2013 “Text or call me on saturday, ill be done around 9pm i
believe earliest. We can work something out from
there?”
Exhibit 18 July 9, 2013 “If your schedule won’t be there when I return I can
adjust my schedule to be flexible elsewhere.”
10
Exhibit 19 September 15, 2013 “If your only here a day but are coming back
for the Emmys next week, lets set something
up?
Exhibit 20 October 22, 2013 “Hopefully I can run into you today!”
Exhibit 21 October 22, 2013 “I could take off for a lunch if u have a time or see u
at 10”
Exhibit 22 October 28, 2013 “I can take a lunch if u have time?
Exhibit 23 October 29, 2013 “Depending on when I finish, I could swing by soho
on my way home?
27. Furthermore, as evidenced by the following emails, this warm, friendly relationship
between CW-1 and Mr. Weinstein continued on for several years after the alleged forcible rape in
March 2013, and for years before February 2018 when, upon information and belief, CW-1 for the
first time ever made any claim of an alleged rape to any law enforcement authority4:
Exhibit 24 August 22, 2014 “What time are you free at for a drink?”
Exhibit 26 September 14, 2014 “Rough day : ( when you back in la my Friend?”
(emphasis added)5
Exhibit 27 August 19, 2016 “WOW! I know its a HUGE deal if you changed
your plans for me. You know me, I’m there
always if i can make it happen. Just juggling
responsibilities with living.”
4
CW-1 also first made her allegations to authorities after there was a world-wide media firestorm
demonizing Mr. Weinstein and suggesting that anyone close to Mr. Weinstein who did not
condemn or accuse him was therefore complicit. By February 2018, there was also already wide-
spread speculation about massive potential civil and criminal liability Mr. Weinstein would be
facing.
5
Among other personal aspects of their relationship was the fact that Mr. Weinstein arranged for
CW-1 to obtain employment.
11
28. Even more telling is this clearly warm and solicitous email exchange that took place
on July 26, 2014 that should have been presented to the Grand Jury (Exhibit 28):
• CW-1 (5:55 pm): I’m at work. Just had u cross my mind and thought u
would send a hello. I am well
(emphasis added).
29. In this exchange, the alleged rape victim writes she is “laughing out loud” (“Lol”)
because her alleged rapist was making her think about him. It was fundamentally unfair that the
Grand Jury was prevented from making any inquiry of CW-1 as to her direct and seemingly
solicitous and complimentary communications with her alleged rapist immediately after and
30. Notably, this communication by CW-1 to Weinstein also occurred two weeks after
CW-1 told Mr. Weinstein that “There is no one else I would enjoy catching up with that
understands me quite like you.” (Exhibit 29: July 10, 2014 Email; emphasis added).
6
This is not to ignore that rape can occur in relationships such as an abusive marriage or where
the parties have been dating each other for a time. But the relationship here–while it occurred over
a long period–was not a relationship where CW-1 and Mr. Weinstein saw each other regularly,
lived together or were even in any kind of committed relationship. It was not a relationship in
which CW-1 was trapped by matrimony, employment or financial need. No matter the nature of
the relationship, however, the People had a legal obligation to let the Grand Jury see and read these
critical communications composed by CW-1 and sent to Mr. Weinstein shortly after CW-1 now
claims a forcible rape occurred before making an informed decision as to whether there was
evidence Mr. Weinstein raped CW-1 on March 18, 2013, sufficient to indict him.
12
31. In yet another email exchange reasonably understood as also being inconsistent
with an indictment being returned, CW-1 writes to Mr. Weinstein following her alleged forcible
rape about how she looks forward to introducing Mr. Weinstein to her own mother: “She would
love to meet you, plus you can see how good my genes are ;).”7 (Exhibit 30: July 29, 2014 Email;
emphasis added). Surprisingly, CW-1 again reached out to her alleged rapist when she needed help
securing a job (Exhibit 31: September 8, 2013 Email), when she needed a sponsorship for a Soho
membership (Exhibit 32: February 23, 2015 Email), when her license was suspended (Exhibit 33:
April 9, 2015 Email) and for comfort when her father got sick (Exhibit 34: July 6, 2014 Email).
32. These emails, we submit, confirm the highly relevant fact that the relationship
between CW-1 and Mr. Weinstein was both consensual and intimate; importantly, particular
emails sent to Mr. Weinstein by CW-1 could also be reasonably understood to reflect CW-1’s
intention that she wanted the relationship to be deeper. For example, on February 8, 2017, CW-1
emailed Mr. Weinstein saying “I love you, always do. But I hate feeling like a booty call. :).”
(Exhibit 35: February 8, 2017 Email; emphasis added). Although reflecting neither Mr.
Weinstein’s words nor feelings, by using the term “booty call,” the complaining witness appears
to acknowledge the consensual, intimate nature of her relationship with Mr. Weinstein and
perhaps, most importantly, signaled her desire for a fuller and more emotionally committed
relationship. This evidence should not have been kept from the Grand Jury.
33. What is absolutely clear from these emails is that CW-1 had a long-term,
consensual, intimate relationship with Mr. Weinstein that continued for years after the alleged rape
7
Ending her emails with the proverbial :) “Smiley face,” is normally used, we submit, by someone
reasonably intending it as a symbol of friendship and that, as CW-1 tells Mr. Weinstein,
communicating with Weinstein makes the sending party, in this case CW-1, “happy.”
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and that the extensive communications from CW-1 to Weinstein evinced not a single indication
that CW-1 had ever been the victim of a forcible rape. That is precisely why counsel had requested
an adjournment of Mr. Weinstein’s Grand Jury testimony in order for counsel to physically obtain
these exculpatory emails so that the Grand Jury could be presented with this highly relevant
documentary evidence. In refusing to agree to even a brief adjournment or to provide these emails
to the Grand Jury, the People violated all sense of fair dealing by presenting the Grand Jury with
an incomplete and misleading impression about CW-1’s actual contact and communications with
Mr. Weinstein, thereby preventing the Grand Jury from properly contextualizing and assessing her
testimony when they made the decision as to whether the evidence presented was sufficient to
34. This failure is made even worse by the fact that counsel had written the District
Attorney on May 16, 2018 and May 22, 2018,9 prior to the original and subsequent indictments,
and specifically requested that the prosecutors provide the Grand Jury with “exculpatory evidence
that would materially influence the Grand Jury’s determination.” (Exhibit 2: Brafman May 16,
2018 Letter at 4). The defense also asked the District Attorney’s Office to adjourn the time for Mr.
Weinstein’s Grand Jury testimony so as to allow the defense to obtain these exculpatory emails
for use in the Grand Jury. The District Attorney refused, and instead re-presented the case to the
8
Even if the District Attorney informed the Grand Jury that CW-1 and Mr. Weinstein had a
relationship, this would not be adequate to avoid prejudice without providing the Grand Jury with
the actual communications that were sent by CW-1 to Mr. Weinstein during the highly relevant
period immediately following the claimed rape. Otherwise, it is impossible for the Grand Jury to
properly assess the evidence and CW-1’s testimony in determining whether CW-1 was forcibly
raped.
9
This letter is not attached to counsel’s affirmation as the letter was filed under seal with this
Court.
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Grand Jury without further notice to the defense, thereby depriving the defense of the opportunity
35. As noted above, counsel believes that the People have indicated they had these
emails in their possession at the time of the Grand Jury presentations based on the prosecutor’s
previous statement that she was aware of CW-1’s email exchanges when counsel referenced them
in a discussion about bail prior to Mr. Weinstein’s arraignment on the superseding indictment.
Even if the District Attorney did not have the actual emails in their possession when presenting
their case to the Grand Jury, they certainly knew about the exculpatory nature of these emails from
counsel’s representations and should have properly adjourned the Grand Jury presentation to
further investigate before asking the Grand Jury to indict Mr. Weinstein on charges that carry a
10
The People may point to the fact that after the Court denied counsel’s request for an adjournment,
counsel informed the People that Mr. Weinstein would not testify because he did not have
sufficient time to prepare in only two court days once notified for the first time of the identity of
the alleged rape victim. In response to a question by ADA Joan Illuzzi-Orbon, counsel confirmed
that he was accordingly withdrawing his previously given C.P.L. § 190.50 notice as to a sex crime
presentation. The People have now used that conversation and a similar conversation after the
original indictment to argue that they were therefore not required to provide notice as to “any”
further sex crime presentment when, in truth, Mr. Weinstein was withdrawing notice as to CW-1
and Lucia Evans, the only two alleged victims whose allegations Mr. Weinstein was notified the
Grand Jury was considering. Thereafter, without further notice, the District Attorney presented the
case of Mimi Haleyi without any notice to Mr. Weinstein’s counsel, and again used the cases of
Lucia Evans and CW-1 to seek a Predatory Sexual Assault indictment; again, upon information
and belief, the prosecution failed for the second time to provide the Grand Jury with the identified
emails.
Even if the People relied on counsel’s statement as to the withdrawal of C.P.L. § 190.50
notice, it did not cure the failure to again ask the Grand Jury to consider the alleged “rape” of CW-
1 without presenting the highly exculpatory emails. Indeed, the prejudice was only exacerbated,
as the Grand Jury relied on the CW-1 rape allegation to secure an even more serious indictment,
thereby exposing Mr. Weinstein to the potential of a life sentence.
15
36. While the exculpatory email evidence may directly pertain to only Counts Three
(Predatory Sexual Assault), Four (Rape in the First Degree) and Five (Rape in the Third Degree)
of the indictment relating to CW-1, the District Attorney’s failure to fairly present an accurate and
complete presentation of the evidence infected the entire Grand Jury proceeding and subsequent
indictment. Indeed, the case against Mr. Weinstein is significantly weaker without CW-1’s alleged
rape claim, as the alleged conduct relating to both Lucia Evans and Mimi Haleyi occurred fourteen
and twelve years ago, respectively, and Ms. Evans claims she does not even remember when the
alleged crime occurred in 2004–asserting it occurred at some unknown time between June and
September of 2004. The Grand Jury would also be skeptical of Ms. Evans’ claims, we submit,
given that the alleged assault took place during daytime hours at Mr. Weinstein’s transparent glass-
enclosed office with four employees stationed within feet of Ms. Evans. Similarly, Ms. Haleyi’s
own version on its face is not credible. She claims to have repeatedly rebuffed Mr. Weinstein at
various locations, only to subsequently choose to visit him at his residence, where the alleged
incident took place. In addition, both Ms. Evans and Ms. Haleyi were adult women who had
reportedly retained personal injury lawyers and scrubbed their social media accounts prior to their
cooperation with law enforcement, and neither ever reported their alleged assaults until after Mr.
Weinstein was vilified by an unrelenting and insatiable media drumbeat that aggressively
promoted the false narrative that those who had any intimate relationship with Mr. Weinstein must
either publicly identify as being his victim or else be forever labeled as being complicit in his
37. By presenting CW-1 to the Grand Jury as a 2013 rape victim, the District Attorney
portrayed Mr. Weinstein as a “rapist” in an attempt to bootstrap the two weaker, older cases to a
seemingly stronger recent case. In doing so, the District Attorney allowed the Grand Jury to hear
16
a sanitized and distorted version of CW-1’s true relationship and interactions with Mr. Weinstein
(without reading her exculpatory emails) and ignored defense counsel’s request–prior to both the
original and subsequent indictments–that the District Attorney provide the Grand Jury with
“exculpatory evidence that would materially influence the Grand Jury’s determination.” (Exhibit
38. In the end, a prosecutor’s duty in the Grand Jury is not just to secure indictments,
“but also to see that justice is done.” People v. Huston, 88 N.Y.2d 400, 406 (1996). Justice was
not done here. As argued more fully in the enclosed Memorandum of Law, to the extent the
prosecutors failed to introduce this crucial and exculpatory evidence, the indictment should be
dismissed pursuant to C.P.L. § 210.35(5) as this failure impaired the integrity of the Grand Jury
39. The original May 30, 2018 indictment in this case charged Mr. Weinstein with three
crimes (Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree, Rape in the First Degree and Rape in the Third
40. On July 2, 2018, without any further notice to counsel, the District Attorney filed a
superseding indictment adding another victim, Mimi Haleyi, and three additional charges: two
counts of Predatory Sexual Act (one for Mimi Haleyi and one for CW-1) and an additional count
of Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree (for Mimi Haleyi). The two new Predatory Sexual
Assault charges are class A-II felonies that carry a maximum of life imprisonment.
17
41. As argued in footnote 10 and the accompanying Memorandum of Law, the
superseding indictment should be dismissed because the District Attorney failed to provide
adequate notice that it was presenting new, far more serious charges to the Grand Jury.
42. Count Six of the indictment alleges that Mr. Weinstein committed Criminal Sexual
Act in the First Degree by engaging in oral sexual conduct by forcible compulsion “during the
43. While neither the indictment nor the Voluntary Disclosure Form provide any
additional facts surrounding the alleged incident, the victim, Lucia Evans, has openly discussed
her claim in the media, including an interview with The New Yorker. (Exhibit 36: Ronan Farrow,
From Aggressive Overtures to Sexual Assault: Harvey Weinstein’s Accusers Tell Their Stories,
44. In that interview, Ms. Evans describes how she gave Mr. Weinstein her number
after meeting him at a NYC nightclub in the summer of 2004 before her senior year in college.
Soon after, she claims she agreed to meet Mr. Weinstein in his Tribeca office for a daytime
meeting, first with Mr. Weinstein and then, immediately thereafter in the same office space, with
45. Ms. Evans further alleges that, during her meeting with Mr. Weinstein, he forced
her to perform oral sex by pulling her head down onto his penis. Ms. Evans goes on to explain that
she told Mr. Weinstein that she did not want to perform oral sex and tried to get away, but then
states in her press interview that “maybe I didn’t try hard enough” and that she did not want to
18
kick or fight him so she “just sort of gave up.” (Id. at 3). Immediately after the alleged sexual
assault, Ms. Evans chose to meet with a casting executive in the same office space, who she stated
subsequently sent her scripts and also attended one of her acting-class readings weeks later.
46. Despite providing a detailed account of the alleged incident to The New Yorker,
Ms. Evans now claims she does not remember the date on which she was sexually assaulted. As a
result, no specific date is provided and the indictment instead charges a “season”–alleging that Mr.
Weinstein engaged in this conduct at some point “during the period from on or about June 1, 2004
to on or about September 1, 2004.” As argued in the attached Memorandum of Law, this Count is
defective and should be dismissed under C.P.L. § 200.50(6) because a three-month time frame is
unreasonable and prevents Mr. Weinstein from adequately preparing his defense to the charge.
47. Count Five charges Mr. Weinstein with third-degree rape of CW-1 on March 18,
2013. The Statute of Limitations for this crime is five years (see C.P.L. § 30.10(2)(b)) and it
expired on March 18, 2018. Because Mr. Weinstein was not arrested on this charge until May 25,
2018–more than two months after the Statute of Limitations expired–this charge must be
dismissed.
48. Counts One, Two, Three, Four and Six of the indictment require that Mr. Weinstein
committed sexual assault “[b]y forcible compulsion.” See Penal Law §§ 130.35(1), 130.50(1),
19
130.95. This requirement involves either the use of physical force or threats that place the victim
49. Over the last 10 months, several women have made accusations against Mr.
Weinstein of forced sexual contact but who, upon further questioning, acknowledged that Mr.
Weinstein did not actually exert any force or threat of force; rather, they claim to have acquiesced
to the sexual contact because they believed that Mr. Weinstein would continue to insist until they
complied. This would not constitute “forcible compulsion” under New York law. Lucia Evans, the
alleged victim in Count Six, stated a similar claim in her interview with The New Yorker, first
stating she told Mr. Weinstein that she did not want to perform oral sex and tried to get away, but
then describes that “maybe I didn’t try hard enough” and that she did not want to kick or fight him
so she “just sort of gave up.” (Exhibit 36: Ronan Farrow, From Aggressive Overtures to Sexual
Assault: Harvey Weinstein’s Accusers Tell Their Stories, The New Yorker, Oct. 10, 2017 at 3).
50. Based on the quoted statements repeatedly made by Ms. Evans in her press
interviews, we ask that this Court review the Grand Jury minutes to determine whether the
testimony of each of the victims sufficiently established the required “forcible compulsion”
element as a matter of law. Acquiescence in the face of insistence without physical force or threat
of violence is certainly not a legally sufficient basis to charge someone with the crimes of Rape,
51. Counsel also requests that this Court release the pertinent portions of the Grand
Jury testimony to the defense so that we may assist the Court in adjudication of the current motion
to dismiss. See CPL § 210.30 (3); Matter of Attorney Gen. of the State of N.Y. v. Firetog, 94
20
H. THE INDICTMENT SHOULD BE DISMISSED, PURSUANT TO
C.P.L. §§ 210.20(1)(C) AND 210.35, ON VARIOUS GROUNDS OF
DEFECTIVE GRAND JURY PROCEEDINGS
52. Given the highly public nature of the case against Mr. Weinstein, counsel had
requested, prior to the Grand Jury presentations, that the District Attorney’s Office take measures,
along with this Court, to individually voir dire each Grand Juror to make certain that the publicity
would not unduly and improperly influence the Grand Jury.11 See e.g., Democratic Cty. Comm. of
Bronx Cty. v. Nadjari, 52 A.D.2d 70, 74 (1st Dep’t 1976) (“To the extent that petitioner challenges
the general absence of a Grand Jury voir dire, it is noted that respondent asserts that the Grand Jury
has been repeatedly admonished to disregard media accounts and this factor must be taken into
consideration as to whether publicity has unduly and improperly influenced the Grand Jury.”
(citing People v. King, 48 A.D.2d 457 (1st Dep’t 1975) and Beck v. Washington, 369 U.S. 541,
546 (1962))); see also In re Grand Jury Investigation of Death of Diallo, 180 Misc. 2d 223, 224
(Sup. Ct. Bronx Co. 1999) (“the Court, mindful ‘that an accused individual has a constitutional
right to have his case presented before a fair and impartial Grand Jury,’ and guided by the more
stringent rules applicable to the discharge of sworn petit jurors, informed the respective parties
that it would promptly conduct an in camera inquiry of the Grand Jury panel to explore and resolve
the impact, if any, of the publicity engendered by this incident on the Grand Jurors’ ability to fairly
11
This request was made as part of counsel’s May 22, 2018 letter to the District Attorney’s Office
and this Court, which has been filed under seal.
21
53. Counsel is not privy to the Grand Jury minutes and is therefore not aware whether
the District Attorney or this Court actually conducted voir dire of the Grand Jurors. To the extent
the requested voir dire was not undertaken, or undertaken meaningfully and repeated with each
new presentation of charges, we move this Court to dismiss the indictment, pursuant to C.P.L. §§
210.20(1)(c) and 210.35(5), because this failure impaired the integrity of the Grand Jury and
54. Mr. Weinstein notes that at least twelve grand jurors, during the course of what
might have been several weeks of presentation over a possibly non-consecutive time period, were
required to have heard all the evidence. Should this prove not to have been the case–a proposition
which, at this point, can only be determined by the Court’s scrutiny of the proceedings–the
55. Additionally, not only must twelve grand jurors hear all the evidence, but the
56. It is therefore respectfully requested that the Court scrutinize the necessary
attendance records and minutes to determine if there was appropriate compliance. If not, the
57. It is respectfully requested that the Court scrutinize the evidence with regard to any
potential extension that might have been ordered for this Grand Jury. If the instant matter was not
part of the authorized extension, then the Grand Jury was not legally empowered to return a true
58. It is respectfully requested that the Court examine all the legal instructions given to
the Grand Jury and that the Court give particular scrutiny to the instruction regarding how the
Grand Jury must evaluate the evidence for each crime separately. For instance, the prosecutors
must instruct the Grand Jury that it could not consider any of the evidence relating to the criminal
sexual act charges when deciding whether Mr. Weinstein committed the rape charges. And vice
versa.12 A failure to properly instruct the Grand Jury regarding this matter would constitute an
error so substantial that it would render the Grand Jury proceedings legally defective requiring a
59. Pursuant to C.P.L. § 240.40(1), Mr. Weinstein seeks an Order of this Court allowing
discovery of all reports, memoranda, affidavits and other documents relating to this case, including
but not limited to all reports, memoranda, records of interviews and reports generated by police
officials or the District Attorney’s Office as well as other documents relating to this case which
were prepared by the New York Police Department, or used by the New York Police Department
and/or the District Attorney’s Office in their investigation of this case. All of the information
60. Mr. Weinstein also requests an Order of this Court directing the District Attorney
12
While evidence that a defendant committed a prior sexual assault may, in certain circumstances,
be considered in evaluating whether he committed the crime of Predatory Sexual Assault, that is
because committing a previous sexual assault is an element of that crime. The same is not true for
the other charges in the indictment.
23
61. Mr. Weinstein further requests, pursuant to C.P.L. § 240.43, that the People notify
him of all specific instances of his conduct believed to constitute prior uncharged criminal,
vicious, immoral or bad acts which the District Attorney’s Office intends to seek to use at trial for
62. Mr. Weinstein also moves, pursuant to People v. Sandoval, 43 N.Y.2d 371 (1974),
to preclude the District Attorney’s Office from cross-examining as to prior specific uncharged
criminal, vicious, immoral, or bad acts. The probative value of such evidence is vastly outweighed
by the unduly prejudicial impact such evidence would have on the jury and will force this Court
to conduct a series of contested mini-trials on that claimed evidence as Mr. Weinstein will seek to
63. Pursuant to C.P.L. § 200.95, Mr. Weinstein requests a Bill of Particulars to allow
the defense to properly defend against the charges in the superseding indictment. Specifically, Mr.
Count 1
The exact time and location of the alleged conduct that occurred on
July 10, 2006;
The exact crime(s) that constitute(s) the predicate act for Predatory
Sexual Assault; and
The exact time and date of the alleged crime(s) that serve(s) as the
predicate act for Predatory Sexual Assault.
24
Count 2
The exact time and location of the alleged conduct that occurred on
July 10, 2006;
Count 3
The exact time and location of the alleged conduct that occurred on
March 18, 2013;
The exact crime(s) that constitute(s) the predicate act for Predatory
Sexual Assault; and
The exact time and date of the alleged crime(s) that serve(s) as the
predicate act for Predatory Sexual Assault.
Count 4
The exact time and location of the alleged conduct that occurred on
March 18, 2013; and
Count 5
The exact time and location of the alleged conduct that occurred on
March 18, 2013;
The reason why this crime is not time barred by the five-year Statute
of Limitations.
25
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
COUNTY OF NEW YORK – PART 81
-----------------------------------------------------------------X
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
MEMORANDUM OF LAW
-against- Indictment No. 2335/2018
HARVEY WEINSTEIN,
Defendant.
-----------------------------------------------------------------X
Benjamin Brafman
Jacob Kaplan
Of Counsel
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Introduction ..........................................................................................................................1
II. The Indictment Should Be Dismissed Because the District Attorney Failed to
Provide the Grand Jury with Exculpatory Evidence of the Long-Term, Consensual,
Intimate Relationship Between the Defendant and the Alleged Rape Victim .................... 1
III. The Indictment Should Be Dismissed Because the District Attorney Failed to Give
Adequate Notice That It Was Presenting New, Far More Serious Charges to the
Grand Jury......................................................................................................................... 10
IV. Count Six of the Indictment Should Be Dismissed Because the Three-Month Time
Frame of the Alleged Conduct as Charged in the Indictment Is Unreasonable Under
the Circumstances and Prevents Mr. Weinstein From Preparing a Defense .................... 14
V. The Indictment Should Be Dismissed Because the People Failed to Provide the
Grand Jury with Legally Sufficient Evidence of Forcible Compulsion ........................... 19
i
TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
Statutes
C.P.L. § 200.50(6)..........................................................................................................................15
Cases
People v. Abbatiello, 129 Misc. 2d 831 (Sup. Ct. Bronx Co. 1985) ...............................................4
People v. Berrios, 173 Misc. 2d 76 (Sup. Ct. Kings Co. 1997) .......................................................4
People v. Diaz, 144 Misc. 2d 766 (Sup. Ct. Bronx Co. 1989) .......................................................12
People v. Dorsey, 104 Misc. 2d 963 (Sup. Ct. Bronx Co. 1980) ...................................................21
People v. Fletcher, 140 Misc. 2d 389 (Sup. Ct. Queens Co. 1988) ...............................................12
People v. Flynn, 123 Misc. 2d 1021 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Co. 1984) ...............................................20, 21
People v. Freeman, 24 Misc. 3d 1212(A), 2009 WL 1939398 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Co. 2009) .............13
People v. Helm, 45 Misc. 3d 1207(A) (Crim. Ct. N.Y. Co. 2014) ................................................20
People v. Howard, 152 Misc. 2d 956 (Sup. Ct. Kings Co. 1991) ....................................................1
ii
People v. Hunter, 126 Misc. 2d 13 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Co. 1984) .........................................................4
People v. Lincoln, 159 Misc. 2d 242 (Sup. Ct. Queens Co. 1993) ..................................................4
People v. Martinez, 111 Misc. 2d 67 (Sup. Ct. Queens Co. 1981) ................................................12
People v. Monroe, 125 Misc. 2d 550 (Sup. Ct. Bronx Co. 1984)....................................................4
People v. Natoli, 112 Misc. 2d 1069 (Sup. Ct. Kings Co. 1982) ...................................................12
People v. Parbhu, 191 Misc. 2d 473 (Crim. Ct. N.Y. Co. 2002) ...................................................20
People v. Qaharr, 165 Misc. 2d 939 (Sup. Ct. Bronx Co. 1995) ...................................................13
People v. Scott, 141 Misc. 2d 623 (Sup. Ct. Queens Co. 1988) ....................................................12
People v. Scott, 150 Misc. 2d 297 (Sup. Ct. Queens Co. 1991) ..................................................3, 7
People v. Suarez, 103 Misc. 2d 910 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Co. 1980) ..........................................11, 12, 13
iii
People v. Suarez, 122 A.D.2d 861 (2d Dep’t 1986) ........................................................................3
iv
I. INTRODUCTION
Counsel submits this Memorandum of Law in support of Mr. Weinstein’s August 3, 2018
proceeding will be found to be defective when it “fails to conform to the requirements of article
one hundred ninety to such degree that the integrity thereof is impaired and prejudice to the
defendant may result.” Thus, even where the evidence before the Grand Jury may be legally
sufficient, C.P.L. § 210.35(5) requires only the possibility of prejudice, not actual prejudice, to
warrant dismissal. See People v. Sayavong, 83 N.Y.2d 709, 711 (1994); People v. Darby, 75
N.Y.2d 449, 455 (1990); People v. Wilkins, 68 N.Y.2d 269, 276 (1986); People v. Di Falco, 44
subdivision, each case relying on its provisions must be analyzed on an individual basis to
determine whether the integrity of the Grand Jury was impaired and whether the possibility of
prejudice existed.” People v. Howard, 152 Misc. 2d 956, 958 (Sup. Ct. Kings Co. 1991) (quoting
Bellacosa, Practice Commentary, McKinney’s Cons. Laws of N.Y., Book 11A, C.P.L. § 210.35,
p. 139). Upon such analysis, however, as the Court of Appeals admonished in People v. Huston, a
88 N.Y.2d 400, 406 (1996) (quoting People v. Lancaster, 69 N.Y.2d 20, 26 (1986); People v.
Pelchat, 62 N.Y.2d 97, 105 (1984); and People v. Di Falco, 44 N.Y.2d 482, 487 (1978)) (internal
Further, as recalled in People v. Thompson, 22 N.Y.3d 687, 697 (2014), the obligation of
the prosecutor not only to seek convictions but also to see that justice is done. This
duty extends to the prosecutor's instructions to the grand jury and the submission
of evidence. The prosecutor also cannot provide an inaccurate and misleading
answer to the grand jury’s legitimate inquiry, nor can the prosecutor accept an
indictment that he or she knows to be based on false, misleading or legally
insufficient evidence.
22 N.Y.3d at 697 (quoting Pelchat, 62 N.Y.2d at 105 and People v. Hill, 5 N.Y.3d 772, 773 (2005)
and citing People v. Lancaster, supra (internal quotation marks omitted; emphasis added)).
In determining when the finding of such a risk of prejudice could be made, the Huston
88 N.Y.2d at 409.
2
With regard to the issue of exculpatory evidence, in People v. Mitchell, 82 N.Y.2d 509,
510 (1993), the Court of Appeals addressed “whether a prosecutor is required to present
exculpatory statements of a defendant to the Grand Jury in addition to the inculpatory statements
which were submitted.” Based “on the facts presented,” the Court held there to be no such
requirement, since the “exculpatory statements were not a part of a single statement in which
inculpatory and exculpatory thoughts were expressed.” 82 N.Y.2d at 513. Consequently, they were
encompassing rule that the prosecution is never under an obligation to present exculpatory
To be sure, given the purpose of a Grand Jury, the prosecution is not under any obligation
to search out and thereupon present evidence of an exculpatory nature. On the other hand, since
the prosecution is “charged with the duty not only to secure indictments but also to see that justice
is done,” Huston, 88 N.Y.2d at 406, where the prosecution is on clear notice of and/or already in
possession of “materially influencing” and admissible proof that does more than chip away at a
witness’ credibility (here, the withheld information shakes the core of the accusation), it has been
held that such a responsibility does in fact exist in certain circumstances. See People v. Williams,
298 A.D.2d 535 (2d Dep’t 2002); People v. Suarez, 122 A.D.2d 861 (2d Dep’t 1986); People v.
Acting on this guidance, motion courts have dismissed indictments under appropriate
circumstances. See, e.g., People v. Lee, 178 Misc. 2d 24, 29 (Sup. Ct. Nass. Co. 1998) (dismissing
indictment upon stating that “[n]or may the prosecutor withhold evidence which would materially
influence the grand jurors.”); People v. Scott, 150 Misc. 2d 297, 298 (Sup. Ct. Queens Co. 1991)
3
(indictment dismissed due to failure to present exculpatory evidence, while holding that “[i]t is not
a question of whether the result ‘would’ be different but whether such evidence could ‘possibly
cause the Grand Jury to change its findings’” (citation omitted)); People v. Abbatiello, 129 Misc.
2d 831 (Sup. Ct. Bronx Co. 1985) (same); People v. Monroe, 125 Misc. 2d 550, 558-59 (Sup. Ct.
Bronx Co. 1984) (“materially influencing” means evidence which would possibly cause the Grand
Jury to change its findings); cf., People v. Lincoln, 159 Misc. 2d 242 (Sup. Ct. Queens Co. 1993)
(Grand Jury proceeding defective where District Attorney instructed jurors to disregard already
admitted exculpatory evidence); People v. Hunter, 126 Misc. 2d 13 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Co. 1984)
(People’s failure to turn over exculpatory evidence prior to Grand Jury proceeding prejudiced
Defendant’s rights under C.P.L. § 190.50(5) and (6), requiring dismissal of indictment).
Put another way, the prosecutor’s wide exercise of discretion in presenting evidence to the
Grand Jury, which may include the decision not to present exculpatory material, must be balanced
by the Grand Jury’s right to hear the “full story so that it [can] make an independent decision that
probable cause [exists] to support an indictment.” People v. Isla, 96 A.D.2d 789, 790 (1st Dep’t
the indictment was fatally defective because the Grand Jury had no evidence before
it worthy of belief that defendant had committed a crime. Possessing the knowledge
he did before the entry of the plea, the prosecutor was duty bound to obtain a
superseding indictment on proper evidence or to disclose the facts and seek
permission from the court to resubmit the case. Just as he could not sit by and permit
a trial jury to decide a criminal action on evidence known to be false, he could not
permit a proceeding to continue on an indictment which he knew rested solely upon
false evidence.
Pelchat, 62 N.Y.2d at 107 (citations omitted); see also People v. Berrios, 173 Misc. 2d 76, 79 (Sup.
Ct. Kings Co. 1997) (“Once a prosecutor becomes aware that a witness has perjured herself before
4
the grand jury, disclosure of the perjurious testimony to another grand jury should be complete
and precise”).
In the final analysis, “whether a particular defense need be charged depends upon its
(1984). In such event, evidence in the prosecutor’s possession which would tend to wholly
The absence of “fair dealing” in this case, in violation of Pelchat, and the failure of the
prosecutor to disclose materially influencing information to the Grand Jury is readily apparent.
From any objective standpoint, there is no question here that, had the prosecutors disclosed to the
Grand Jury the readily available and wholly exculpatory email evidence in their possession, a True
Specifically, the nature and extent of email communications by CW-1 to Mr. Weinstein
following her claimed forcible rape objectively raise significant doubt relating to her only recently
made allegation of forcible rape. Having purportedly just been raped by Mr. Weinstein, it would
be objectively reasonable to expect that CW-1 would either choose to have no further interaction
with her rapist or that her interactions would be negative or at least reference the recent sexual
assault. That is not what happened here. Not only are CW-1’s subsequent email exchanges with
Mr. Weinstein devoid of any suggestion she believed she was the victim of a crime, the emails
demonstrate that CW-1 affirmatively wished to continue her long-term, consensual, intimate
relationship with Mr. Weinstein. For example, her statement to Mr. Weinstein on April 11, 2013–
three weeks after the alleged rape–that “[I] hope to see you sooner than[] later” (Exhibit 6: April
5
11, 2013 Email) would objectively appear to be inconsistent with having just been sexually
assaulted by Weinstein. The same is true for CW-1’s other written comments in the six months
after the alleged rape: “I appreciate all you do for me, it shows” (Exhibit 7: April 12, 2013 Email);
“It would be great to see you again, and catch up!” (Exhibit 8: April 17, 2013 Email); “Hi Dear,
Thinking of you as well as I was on the plane” (Exhibit 12: May 6, 2013 Email); and “Miss you
In this case, as more fully set out in the accompanying Affirmation of counsel for Mr.
Weinstein, there are dozens of such emails between CW-1 and Mr. Weinstein that, taken
individually or collectively, reflect communication and contact which directly refute the recently
made claim that Mr. Weinstein raped CW-1 on March 18, 2013. Unlike collateral issues like
credibility, this exculpatory email evidence went directly to the “very heart of the charge” (People
v. Golon, 174 A.D.2d 630, 632 (2d Dep’t 1991)), i.e., whether Mr. Weinstein raped CW-1 on
seek opportunities to again meet with and spend more time with her alleged rapist. Yet that is
exactly what CW-1 does with Mr. Weinstein as reflected in her own communications for years
after the March 2013 alleged rape: “It would be great to see you again, and catch up!” (Exhibit 8:
April 17, 2013 Email); “It would mean a lot [] if we could catch up over a drink then” (Exhibit 9:
April 21, 2013 Email); “I got a new number. Just wanted you to have it. Hope you are well and
call me anytime, always good to hear your voice.” (Exhibit 14: August 27, 2013 Email); “Im home
now, I do not know if you are here, but I have no plans tonight.” (Exhibit 27: August 19, 2016
6
Email). CW-1 even asks for Mr. Weinstein to meet her mother. (Exhibit 30: July 29, 2014 Email:
“She would love to meet you, plus you can see how good my genes are ; ).” (emphasis added)).
Counsel submits that the Grand Jury would understandably be quite skeptical of CW-1’s
claim that she was raped by Mr. Weinstein had it been allowed to review documentary evidence
that she told her alleged accuser after the alleged rape, “I was hoping for some time privately with
you to share the direction I am going in life and catch up because its been awhile” (Exhibit 11:
August 16, 2013 Email) and that “[t]here is no one else I would enjoy catching up with that
understands me quite like you” (Exhibit 29: July 10, 2014 Email; emphasis added).
Moreover, any doubt about the consensual, intimate nature of the continuous relationship
between CW-1 and Mr. Weinstein is dispelled by CW-1’s statement, for example, on February 8,
2017 that she feels like a “booty call.” (See Exhibit 35: February 8, 2017 Email). For the Grand
Jury not to have been provided with this evidence–that the prosecutor herself claimed was in the
prosecution’s possession–violated any sense of fair dealing in the Grand Jury and prevented the
Grand Jurors from hearing evidence that would materially influence their findings. See People v.
Scott, 150 Misc. 2d 297, 298 (Sup. Ct. Queens Co. 1991) (indictment dismissed due to failure to
present exculpatory evidence while holding that “[i]t is not a question of whether the result ‘would’
be different, but whether such evidence could “possibly cause the Grand Jury to change its finding”
(citation omitted)).
Having chosen to present CW-1 to the Grand Jury as the “only” alleged rape victim in
support of both the initial and the superseding indictment, the prosecutors were obliged, as
advocates and public officers, to give the Grand Jury the complete picture of the relationship–
including that Mr. Weinstein and CW-1 were in a long-term, consensual, intimate relationship and
7
there was never the slightest intimation by CW-1 in her many communications to Mr. Weinstein
that she believed she had ever been raped–because the “Grand Jury was entitled to the full story
so that it could make an independent decision that probable cause existed to support an
indictment.” See People v. Isla, 96 A.D.2d 789, 789 (1st Dep’t 1983) (prosecutor improperly
omitted part of sentence in the defendant’s confession where the defendant stated that he fired gun
in self-defense); see also People v. Goldstein, 73 A.D.3d 946, 949 (2d Dep’t 2010) (affirming
dismissal of the grand larceny indictment where the prosecutors informed the Grand Jury that the
defendant and the complainant had litigated their issues in civil court but failed to inform the Grand
Jury “that the defendant obtained specific performance of the contract after a [civil] court made a
credibility determination in favor of the defendant and against the complainant, who failed to prove
by a preponderance of the evidence her claims that the contract of sale was a forgery or was
procured by fraud or misrepresentation”); People v. Falcon, 204 A.D.2d 181, 182 (1st Dep’t 1994)
(affirming the dismissal of an indictment where the prosecutors elected to introduce the
defendant’s written statement and purposely chose not to admit the defendant’s videotaped
Compounding this issue is the fact that the District Attorney did not inform counsel that it
was seeking a superseding indictment including additional sexual assault charges. In the usual
case, a defendant has the option to provide the Grand Jury with exculpatory evidence through his
own testimony or by offering witnesses to the Grand Jury pursuant to C.P.L. § 190.50(6). Mr.
13
The mere fact that the Grand Jury may have been informed that CW-1 and Mr. Weinstein had a
pre-existing relationship is not adequate when, as in this case, there existed documentary evidence
that was directly communicated by CW-1 and continued for years after the alleged rape that
indisputably demonstrated that CW-1 viewed and treated Mr. Weinstein as a friend, not a rapist.
8
Weinstein was deprived of those opportunities when the District Attorney’s Office failed to
provide notice to the defense that the prosecutors were re-presenting the case with an additional
victim to obtain a superseding indictment with new, far more serious charges.
Lastly, the District Attorney’s failure to provide the exculpatory evidence tainted the entire
Grand Jury proceeding, not only as to the charges that rely on CW-1 as the victim but to all charges.
Thus, the prosecutor presented three alleged victims to the Grand Jury, with Lucia Evans and Mimi
Haleyi claiming historical alleged assaults in 2004 and 2006, respectively. Because the passage of
time reduces the marginal quality of testimony and fading memories, older cases such as these are
generally harder to prove–as is highlighted by the fact that Ms. Evans claims that she does not
even remember when within a three-month-period in 2004 she claims she was sexually assaulted.
Moreover, Ms. Evans’ allegations are highly suspect because they allegedly occurred during a
daytime meeting at Mr. Weinstein’s office (which has transparent glass walls) with four employees
stationed feet away from Ms. Evans. Similarly, Ms. Haleyi’s claims are dubious because she
alleges to have repeatedly rebuffed Mr. Weinstein at different locations only to visit him alone
To strengthen these very old and unsupported cases, the District Attorney presented the
Grand Jury with a more recent alleged victim asserting rape. As a consequence, the Grand Jury
would of course be more inclined to believe that Mr. Weinstein committed the 2004 and 2006
assaults if they believed he committed the 2013 rape of CW-1. Unfortunately, however, CW-1’s
allegations are objectively far more implausible if considered in the context of CW-1’s own
communications and interactions with Mr. Weinstein in the weeks, months and years after the
claimed rape. To avoid this issue, we submit, the District Attorney chose not to present these
9
exculpatory emails to the Grand Jury nor, upon information and belief, to confront CW-1 with
these communications. Consequently, the District Attorney’s violation tainted the entire Grand
Jury proceedings, not just Counts Three, Four and Five relating to CW-1. The entire indictment
From the beginning of the District Attorney’s investigation in October 2017, counsel for
Mr. Weinstein has repeatedly given the District Attorney C.P.L. § 190.50 notice that Mr. Weinstein
wished to testify before the Grand Jury in this matter. Counsel has also requested that the
prosecutors provide specific information regarding the nature and scope of the Grand Jury
investigation so that counsel could adequately prepare Mr. Weinstein for his Grand Jury testimony.
(Exhibit 2: Brafman May 16, 2018 Letter at 1-4). Counsel noted that, without such notice and
information, Mr. Weinstein would have “no idea as to what specific charges he must address in
his potential testimony.” (Id. at 1). Counsel also noted that they needed this additional information
to determine whether the defense would offer witnesses to the Grand Jury pursuant to C.P.L. §
Despite this request, the District Attorney refused to provide counsel with any additional
information regarding the nature and scope of the Grand Jury investigation and instead arrested
Mr. Weinstein on May 25, 2018 based on a felony complaint charging the crimes of Criminal
Sexual Act in the First Degree (Penal Law § 130.50(1)), Rape in the First Degree (Penal Law §
10
Weeks later, on July 2, 2018, the District Attorney, without further notice to counsel, filed
a superseding indictment charging Mr. Weinstein with the crimes of Predatory Sexual Assault
(Penal Law § 130.95(2)) (Counts One and Three), Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree (Penal
Law § 130.50(1)) (Counts Two and Six), Rape in the First Degree (Penal Law § 130.35(1)) (Count
Four) and Rape in the Third Degree (Penal Law § 130.25(1)) (Count Five). This superseding
indictment added a new victim, Mimi Haleyi, and new, far more serious Predatory Sexual Assault
charges that are Class A-II felonies carrying a minimum indeterminate sentence of 10 years to life
imprisonment.
Here, we submit, the District Attorney’s refusal to provide specific notice that the re-
presentment related to an additional victim and far more serious additional charges made it
impossible for counsel to adequately advise Mr. Weinstein whether to testify before the Grand
Jury. In this regard, this case is similar to People v. Suarez, 103 Misc. 2d 910 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Co.
1980), where the defendant was charged in a felony complaint with two counts of third-degree
criminal possession of a weapon but was ultimately indicted on the armed felony of second-degree
criminal possession of a weapon, which was a “substantially more serious offense” than that
charged in the felony complaint. Id. at 911. In dismissing the indictment, the court ruled that
withholding notice that the Grand Jury was considered an armed felony “smacks strongly of undue
surprise and denial of fair play, otherwise.” Id. at 914. The court explained:
Id. at 912.
11
Other trial courts have similarly found that the District Attorney’s Office’s notice should
give a defendant “’some idea’ about the nature and scope of the grand jury’s inquiry”:
[i]mplicit in the statutory guarantees of C.P.L. Section 190.50(5)(a) and (b) is that
a defendant against whom charges are being submitted to a grand jury is entitled to
have “some idea” about the nature and scope of the grand jury’s inquiry. This will
presumably aid him in making an informed decision as to whether or not to testify,
the subject of his testimony, and is consistent with his constitutional right to the
effective assistance of counsel. Cases have held that this does not mean that a
defendant must be advised of each and every potential charge relating to the alleged
criminal transaction which is the subject of the complaint, but it should certainly
mean that he must be advised as to what criminal transaction will be the focus of
the inquiry.
People v. Diaz, 144 Misc. 2d 766, 768-69 (Sup. Ct. Bronx Co. 1989) (citing People v. Natoli, 112
Misc. 2d 1069 (Sup. Ct. Kings Co. 1982); People v. Martinez, 111 Misc. 2d 67 (Sup. Ct. Queens
Co. 1981); People v. Suarez, supra; People v. Root, 87 Misc. 2d 482 (Sup. Ct. Bronx Co. 1976);
People v. Scott, 141 Misc.2d 623 (Sup. Ct. Queens Co. 1988); and People v. Fletcher, 140 Misc.
This rule has been embraced at the appellate level by the Second Department. In People v.
Adams, 190 A.D.2d 677, 678 (2d Dep’t 1993), that Court, quoting Root, 87 Misc. 2d at 487, and
[t]he District Attorney’s papers must at least give the defendant some idea of the
nature and scope of the Grand Jury’s inquiry so as to enable him to appear
meaningfully as a witness and, if necessary, secure the effective aid of counsel.
14
People v. Hernandez, 223 A.D.2d 351 (1st Dep’t 1996) does not require a different result. In
that case, the First Department found that “although the second degree possession charge was not
contained in the felony complaint, the People met their statutory obligation when they gave notice
regarding the two weapon possession charges listed in the complaint.” Id. at 352. There, however,
the First Department relied on that fact that the defendant could not “seriously argue that he was
12
Ultimately, in Adams, the motion court’s dismissal of the indictment was reversed because
“the crimes charged in the indictment were not more serious than those charged in the felony
complaint, and arose out of the same incident, i.e., the December 18, 1991, encounter with the
complainant.” 190 A.D.2d at 678. See also People v. Qaharr, 165 Misc. 2d 939, 942 (Sup. Ct.
Bronx Co. 1995) (citing Adams). Here, however, the charges in the superseding complaint are far
more serious, as Mr. Weinstein was indicted on two new charges of Predatory Sexual Assault, a
Class A-II felony with a maximum of life imprisonment. Moreover, one of the Predatory Sexual
Assault charges (Count One) was based on a new victim that was not referenced at all in the felony
complaint or original indictment. By failing to provide adequate notice of the new victim and new
charges, the District Attorney prejudicing Mr. Weinstein’s “right to appear as a witness before the
grand jury and by implication his constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel.” Suarez,
103 Misc. 2d at 912.15 Additionally, by failing to give proper notice, the District Attorney
prejudiced Mr. Weinstein by preventing him from proffering witnesses to the Grand Jury pursuant
to C.P.L. § 190.50(6). See, e.g., People v. Freeman, 24 Misc. 3d 1212(A), 2009 WL 1939398, at
*2 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Co. 2009) (“In light of the People’s acknowledgment that defendant’s request
not aware of the potential scope of the proceedings inasmuch as the circumstances pertaining to
the gun charges involved the same complainant as the menacing charge.” Id. Here, the superseding
indictment relied on a new victim, not referenced in the felony complaint or original indictment,
to seek new, far more serious charges.
15
To the extent the District Attorney relies on counsel’s statement, after the original indictment,
that he was withdrawing C.P.L. § 190.50 notice as to sexual assaults, this reliance is misplaced.
Counsel, in that comment, was stating to the prosecutor that he was withdrawing notice as to the
victims in the felony complaint and original indictment. Counsel was not withdrawing notice for
all sexual assaults in perpetuity. Counsel has since made that point clear by serving C.P.L. § 190.50
notice after the superseding indictment, again notifying the District Attorney that Mr. Weinstein
would testify in the Grand Jury should the prosecutors again seek to re-present the case.
13
was not communicated to the Grand Jury, I find that the integrity of the Grand Jury proceedings
In her press interview with The New Yorker, Lucia Evans claims that she met Mr.
Weinstein at a New York nightclub in the summer before her senior year of college and gave him
her number. Soon thereafter, she agreed to meet with him in his Tribeca office. It is during this
daytime meeting that she claims he forced her to perform oral sex on him. This alleged incident
forms the basis for Count Six of the indictment, which alleges that Mr. Weinstein committed first-
degree criminal sexual act against Ms. Evans by engaging in oral sexual conduct by forcible
compulsion “during the period from on or about June 1, 2004 to on or about September 1, 2004.”
As argued below, this Count must be dismissed because this three-month time period is
unreasonable given the age of the victim at the time of the crime and the fact that the crime is
A. Legal Standard
To enable a defendant to defend himself “‘with all reasonable knowledge and ability’ and
to have ‘full notice of the charge,’ it is important that the indictment ‘charge the time and place
and nature and circumstances of the offense with clearness and certainty.’” People v. Morris, 61
N.Y.2d 290, 295 (1984) (quoting United States v. Cruikshank, 92 U.S. 542, 566 (1875)).
information regarding the nature of the charge and the conduct which underlies the accusation to
14
allow defendant to prepare or conduct a defense.” People v. Sedlock, 8 N.Y.3d 535, 538 (2007);
see also People v. Keindl, 68 N.Y.2d 410, 416 (1986) (“We begin our discussion by again
reaffirming the principle that an indictment must provide the accused with fair notice of the nature
of the charges against him, and of the manner, time and place of the conduct underlying the
accusations, so as to enable him to answer to the charges and to prepare an adequate defense.”).
With this goal in mind, New York’s Criminal Procedure Law requires than an indictment
contain a “statement in each count that the offense charged therein was committed on, or on or
about, a designated date, or during a designated period of time.” C.P.L. § 200.50(6). “When time
may allege the time in approximate terms.” People v. Watt, 81 N.Y.2d 772, 774 (1993).
Nevertheless, while the “explicit language of the statute does not require the exact date and time”
(Morris, 61 N.Y.2d at 294), the time interval in the indictment “must reasonably serve[ ] the
function of protecting defendant’s constitutional right to be informed of the nature and cause of
a defense, courts must make its decision “on an ad hoc basis by considering all relevant
The test for adequacy embraces good faith. Reasonableness and fairness demand
that the [accusatory instrument] state the date and time of the offense to the best of
the People’s knowledge, after a reasonably thorough investigation has been
undertaken to ascertain such information. In evaluating the possibility that a more
specific date could have been obtained through diligent efforts, the court might
consider, among other things: (1) the age and intelligence of the victim and other
witnesses; (2) the surrounding circumstances; and (3) the nature of the offense,
15
including whether it is likely to occur at a specific time or is likely to be discovered
immediately.
Sedlock, 8 N.Y.3d at 538 (quoting Morris, 61 N.Y.2d at 296)). Even when the People have acted
in good faith, the court should still examine “whether, under the circumstances, the designated
period of time set forth is reasonable.” Morris, 61 N.Y.2d at 296. In making this determination:
factors to be considered might include but should not be limited to the length of the
alleged period of time in relation to the number of individual criminal acts alleged;
the passage of time between the alleged period for the crime and defendant’s arrest;
the duration between the date of the indictment and the alleged offense; and the
ability of the victim or complaining witness to particularize the date and time of the
alleged transaction or offense.
Id.
Where an indictment charges a single act offense, “a reasonable time period will generally
be shorter than that which would be acceptable to charge a continuing offense, which by its nature
may be committed over a broad period of time.” People v. Sanchez, 84 N.Y.2d 440, 448 (1994).
heightened scrutiny given to whether the People’s inability to provide more precise times can be
justified as against the important notice rights of the defendant.” Watt, 81 N.Y.2d at 775. Finally,
“[w]here an indictment charges a time interval which is so large that it is virtually impossible for
a defendant to answer the charges and to prepare a defense, dismissal should follow even though
the People have acted diligently and a shorter time period cannot be alleged.” People v.
Two cases from the New York Court of Appeals are particularly instructive and support
dismissal of Count Six. In People v. Morris, the defendant was indicted for sodomizing his five-
16
year-old daughter and raping a six-year-old child, both events occurring in November 1980 in the
defendant’s house. Through a Bill of Particulars, the government narrowed the time frame of the
crime to a 24-day period between November 7 - 30, 1980. In affirming the defendant’s conviction,
the Court of Appeals relied on the fact that the young victims were unable to provide more precise
dates and times because they were only five and six years old. The Court also considered that the
defendant was arrested twelve days after the 24-day period and was indicted within five months
after the alleged crimes. Considering these factors, the Court found that the defendant received
adequate notice of his crimes and was not prevented from preparing a defense.
In contrast, the Court of Appeals in People v. Keindl reversed numerous counts of the
defendant’s conviction that alleged he had committed various criminal sexual acts against his step-
children–ages 8, 9, and 11–during 10-, 12- and 16-month periods. In reversing and dismissing
those counts in the indictment, the Court found the time periods unreasonably excessive because,
unlike the young Morris victims, the Keindl victims were old enough to discern more precise dates
by using seasons, school holidays, birthdays or other events “to assist them in narrowing the time
spans alleged.” Id. at 420; see also id. at 421 (“the children in this case, although of tender years,
appear to have been old enough to parse the various acts within the time spans with more
particularity.”). Because the victims were able to give more precise dates, but failed to do so, the
Here, Ms. Evans was twenty-one years old at the time she now claims a crime occurred –
13 years older than the youngest of the Keindl victims. Given that the prosecution asserts that Ms.
Evans was an adult and unimpaired when the crime allegedly occurred, there is no reason why Ms.
Evans should be unable to provide a more specific time frame of the claimed assault. This is
17
particularly problematic given that Ms. Evans has claimed to be able to provide a detailed account
of the alleged crime to The New Yorker, but is now unable to provide a more specific date or even
a shorter time period of her alleged assault. Every factor the Court of Appeals considered to
determine whether “a more specific date could have been obtained through diligent efforts”
(Sedlock, 8 N.Y.3d at 538) supports a finding here that the time period in Mr. Weinstein’s
o the offense was immediately discoverable and yet there was never
any report of Ms. Evans’ claim to any law enforcement agency for
14 years
Furthermore, in Morris, the defendant was able to present a defense because he was arrested
and indicted soon after his crimes and therefore could reasonably recall the circumstances
surrounding the alleged incidents. Here, Mr. Weinstein was arrested and indicted nearly fourteen
years after the alleged conduct. While this considerable delay makes it difficult in general to
present a defense, this difficulty approaches near impossibility when the delay is coupled with an
unreasonably long three-month time frame within which the crime is alleged to have occurred. In
18
other words, as hard as it would be to recall the circumstances surrounding an office meeting on a
specific day fourteen years ago, it is even more difficult to recall an office meeting that took place
at some point during the summer of 2004. This lack of specificity prevents Mr. Weinstein from
determining for example, whether he has an alibi for the day or week or month of the incident, or
whether he can now identify the other people in the office that day who could contradict Ms.
Evans’ allegations. Consequently, Count Six of the indictment should be dismissed. See People
v. Beauchamp, 74 N.Y.2d 639, 641 (1989) (dismissing an indictment alleging a nine-month period
excluding weekends where the three victims were between four- and six-years old: “Where an
indictment charges a time interval which is so large that it is virtually impossible for a defendant
to answer the charges and to prepare a defense, dismissal should follow even though the People
have acted diligently and a shorter time period cannot be alleged.”); People v. Sedlock, 8 N.Y.3d
535, 539-40 (2007) (dismissing an indictment alleging a seven-month period where the victim was
seventeen years old after concluding that “the People failed to meet their duty to delineate a
sufficiently narrow time frame for the alleged act” because “seven months cannot be deemed
reasonable when weighed against the imperative notice rights of the defendant.”).
All the allegations in this case took place more than five years before Mr. Weinstein’s May
2018 arrest. The only reason why each of these allegations, from 2004 (Lucia Evans), 2006 (Mimi
Haleyi) and 2013 (CW-1), are not time-barred as a matter of law is because the prosecution alleges
that Mr. Weinstein committed these acts using “forcible compulsion,” thus taking them out of the
19
realm of the usual five-year statute of limitations.16 As argued below, however, we believe the
evidence before the Grand Jury was insufficient to meet the required standard of forcible
In this case, based on the felony complaint, there are no allegations that Mr. Weinstein’s
alleged forcible compulsion relating to Lucia Evans or CW-1 was based on any express or implied
threats of force or physical harm. Similarly, in all of Mimi Haleyi’s numerous press interviews she
has never alleged that Mr. Weinstein threatened her in any way. As such, the only basis for forcible
While the statute itself does not define the term “physical force,” courts in this jurisdiction
have interpreted the term “forcible” to “require[] something more than mere bodily contact.”
People v. Helm, 45 Misc. 3d 1207(A) at *2 (Crim. Ct. N.Y. Co. 2014); see also People v. Parbhu,
191 Misc. 2d 473, 479 (Crim. Ct. N.Y. Co. 2002) (“‘Bodily contact alone . . . especially when it
is effected by a mere touching’ does not rise to the level of physical force contemplated by the
Penal Law”); People v. Flynn, 123 Misc. 2d 1021, 1023 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Co. 1984) (“although the
use of actual violence is not the sine qua non of physical force, bodily contact alone is not its
functional equivalent either, especially when it is effected by a mere touching.”). Rather, physical
16
As argued in ¶ 47 of counsel’s attached Affirmation, Count Five of the indictment has a five-
year Statute of Limitation and must therefore be dismissed.
20
force requires some “power or strength or violence exerted against a body.” Flynn, 123 Misc. 2d
at 1023; see, e.g., People v. Thompson, 158 A.D.2d 563, 563 (2d Dep’t 1990) (force existed where
victim testified that “defendant cornered her, threw her down and . . . had sexual intercourse with
her against her will”). Even acting without a victim’s consent, without more, is insufficient. See
People v. Chapman, 54 A.D.3d 507, 509 (3d Dep’t 2008) (reversing the defendant’s convictions
for Rape in the First Degree and Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree because, although the
victim testified that she did not consent to the defendant performing oral sex on her and having
sexual intercourse, there was no evidence establishing that the defendant used physical force.).
Other examples of physical force are found where the defendant uses his greater physical
size and strength to take advantage of a smaller victim. These cases, however, require that the
defendant use his size to trap the victim or prevent the victim from escaping. See, e.g., People v.
Roman, 179 A.D.2d 352, 353 (1st Dep’t 1992) (“Forcible compulsion can be established by
evidence that the defendant used his superior age, size and strength to prevent the victim from
escaping, and to compel her to have sexual intercourse with him.”); People v. Yeaden, 156 A.D.2d
208, 208 (1st Dep’t 1989) (“Forcible compulsion was shown by evidence of the defendant’s
dominating his smaller and weaker daughter and preventing her from leaving him.”); People v.
Dorsey, 104 Misc. 2d 963, 963 (Sup. Ct. Bronx Co. 1980) (finding forcible compulsion where the
seven-inch taller and seventy-pound heavier defendant trapped the smaller victim by stopping the
Lucia Evans’ description of her encounter with Mr. Weinstein sometime in the summer of
2004 underscores the lack of “forcible compulsion” sufficient to support the conduct charged in
the indictment. In her interview with The New Yorker, Ms. Evans claims that, after initially
21
meeting Mr. Weinstein at a NYC club, she agreed to see him again at a daytime meeting at his
office. Ms. Evans alleges that during this meeting, Mr. Weinstein “forced [her] to perform oral sex
on him” by taking his penis out of his pants and describes “pull[ing] her head down onto it.”
(Exhibit 36: Ronan Farrow, From Aggressive Overtures to Sexual Assault: Harvey Weinstein’s
Accusers Tell Their Stories, The New Yorker, Oct. 10, 2017 at 3). She further claims: “I tried to
get away, but maybe I didn’t try hard enough. I didn’t want to kick him or fight him.” (Id.) Without
further explanation, she simply stated: “he’s a big guy. He overpowered me.” (Id.)
This allegation is strikingly similar to the allegations in People v. Mirabal, where the victim
testified that the defendant “placed his penis in her mouth and had his hands on the back of her
head” and further claimed, “without detailed elaboration, that she unsuccessfully attempted to stop
the act.” Mirabal, 278 A.D.2d 526, 527 (3d Dep’t 2000). In reversing the defendant’s conviction
for Sodomy in the First Degree, the Third Department found that “the record does not contain any
evidence to support the victim’s contention that defendant used physical force to compel her to
engage in the sexual act.” Id. at 527. The Court made this ruling even after “[v]iewing the evidence
What is clear from Mirabal is that pulling a woman’s head down on to the defendant’s
penis, without more, is not sufficient to constitute the aggravating element of forcible
compulsion.17 Moreover, the Mirabal victim’s claim that she unsuccessfully tried to stop the act
17
In each of the cases where grabbing or pulling a victim’s head to a defendant’s penis has been
found to be forcible compulsion, the defendant’s conduct involved physical beatings or threats of
bodily injury or death. See, e.g., People v. Randall, 86 A.D.2d 918, 919 (3d Dep’t 1982) (affirming
the jury’s guilty verdict where the victim claimed that “the defendant grabbed her by the hair and
continually held her in a firm grip while forcing her to engage in sexual intercourse, fellatio and
anal intercourse” because the jury, “presented with questions of credibility of the differing
22
was not sufficient to establish the requisite force. Consequently, if Lucia Evans’ Grand Jury
testimony is consistent with the allegations she made in her attributed quotes to The New Yorker,
then, just as in Mirabel, her claims about what occurred do not as a matter of law constitute forcible
compulsion. Nor can forcible compulsion be demonstrated by simply stating that Mr. Weinstein
was “a big guy”; there is no allegation made here, as required, that Mr. Weinstein used his physical
size and strength to trap Evans in that office or prevent her from leaving.
While we have focused here on Lucia Evans, the same forcible compulsion element is
missing as to both Mimi Haleyi (alleged forcible oral sex on her) and CW-1 (alleged rape). See
People v. Chapman, 54 A.D.3d 507, 509 (3d Dep’t 2008) (reversing the defendant’s convictions
for Rape in the First Degree and Criminal Sexual Act in the First Degree because, although the
victim testified that she did not consent to the defendant performing oral sex on her and having
sexual intercourse, there was no evidence establishing that the defendant used physical force). We
therefore respectfully request that, when inspecting the Grand Jury minutes, this Court pay close
attention to the specific allegations made by each accuser to determine if the claims as made are
sufficient to establish that Mr. Weinstein used physical force that meets the forcible compulsion
standard required as a matter of law. As noted in counsel’s attached Affirmation, there have been
other women who have made accusations against Mr. Weinstein of forced sexual assault, only to
acknowledge later that he did not actually exert any force or threat of force and that they instead
testimony, chose to accept complainant's version that she was placed in fear of bodily harm by
defendant’s superior physical strength and implied threats of immediate death or serious physical
injury.’) (emphasis added); People v. Wakefield, 208 A.D.2d 783, 784 (1st Dep’t 1994) (Finding
forcible compulsion where the testimony “established that the defendant told the complainant that
he had a gun, that he would kill her if she tried to run away, that he pulled her by her hair to keep
her from leaving, and that he put her into his closet before he forced her, against her will, to engage
in various sexual acts.”).
23