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By Hollie Silverman
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Harvey Weinstein accuser Mimi Haley said she nearly walked away from the legal battle against the disgraced movie producer before ultimately deciding to testify a second time, following a New York judge's recommendation that Weinstein receive a 15-year prison sentence for his conviction related to her case.
Speaking to Newsweek in a video interview alongside attorney Gloria Allred after Wednesday's sentencing hearing, Haley reflected on a seven-year journey that included two criminal trials, aggressive cross-examinations and repeated challenges to her credibility. Despite those pressures, she said she felt compelled to continue.
"Considering the tactics that they use in the media and so forth, his legal team and whatever else he orchestrated, I just had to show up and stand up for myself and stand up for truth," Haley said.
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Allred praised Haley's role in the prosecution, calling her "a true hero" who testified twice under oath and helped secure convictions against Weinstein in two separate New York trials.
The sentencing recommendation follows Weinstein's second New York conviction for committing a criminal sexual act against Haley.
Weinstein, a former Hollywood film producer and co-founder of Miramax whose downfall became a defining moment of the #MeToo movement after numerous women accused him of sexual misconduct, was originally convicted in New York in 2020 and sentenced to 23 years in prison. That conviction was overturned in 2024 by New York's highest court, triggering a retrial.
Haley agreed to testify again during the second prosecution. A jury once more found Weinstein guilty.
The allegations against Weinstein helped ignite the modern #MeToo movement and rocked Hollywood, prompting accusations from dozens of women, including actresses Ashley Judd, Rose McGowan, Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lupita Nyong'o, Mira Sorvino and Asia Argento, who publicly accused the former movie mogul of sexual misconduct ranging from harassment to assault.
Newsweek reached out to Weinstein's defense attorney by email Wednesday for comment.
"Reflecting on all that has happened since 2017 has helped me recognize how my past conduct has negatively affected others," Weinstein said in court, according to a report from the Associated Press (AP). "I live with many regrets and sincerely apologize to anyone I have affected with my actions,” he said.
Allred noted that Judge Curtis Farber recommended a 15-year sentence Wednesday. Because Weinstein is also awaiting resentencing in California after an appeals court ordered the sentence there reconsidered, the recommendation could have significant implications.
Farber said in court that while Weinstein was a once a leader in the movie industry, "these achievements will pale in comparison to what you did," the AP reported.
The judge said that Weinstein was “a sexual predator, the literal face of the MeToo movement,” and had treated women as “mere objects to be played with and discarded.”
Allred and Haley told Newsweek that the judge noted Weinstein had shown no remorse for his actions.
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Mimi Haley Almost Gave Up
Haley said she first met Weinstein through legendary theater and film producer Michael White, for whom she worked and whom she described as a close friend.
She later reconnected with Weinstein at the Cannes Film Festival while searching for new career opportunities after White's health declined, and said Weinstein "caught me at a very vulnerable time in my life" and "really took advantage of it."
Haley testified that the assault underlying Weinstein's conviction occurred in New York on July 10, 2006, and involved what prosecutors charged as a first-degree criminal sexual act.
She told Newsweek that there were moments when she considered abandoning the case altogether over the last 7 years.
"I doubt myself all the time. I have almost turned around so many times," she said. "In fact, I was at one point not going to show up for this second trial at all."
She said the experience of publicly reliving the allegations and undergoing intense questioning in court was emotionally taxing, but she ultimately believed seeing the process through was necessary.
"All the reasons that people pull out are exactly the same reasons where I feel like that's why I need to keep going," Haley said. "To not fall for the fear tactics, the shaming, the blaming, all the unpleasant things."
The 49-year-old producer, of Finnish and Algerian heritage, said she felt in a unique position to continue the fight because she didn't have many personal obligations that might have discouraged others from participating.
"I felt like I'm kind of a good candidate to just go the distance with it," she said. "I can completely understand why so many people would want not to. But at the same time, I feel like it's so important that we try to hold these people accountable."
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The 'Me Too' Movement Continues
Allred forcefully rejected suggestions that Weinstein's sentencing represents the end of the Me Too movement, arguing that the movement extends far beyond high-profile criminal prosecutions.
"Nothing could be farther from the truth," Allred said.
The veteran women's rights attorney argued that many survivors pursue accountability through lawsuits, confidential settlements or other means that never become public.
"Women are empowered in a way they've never been before," Allred said. "The women's movement is alive and well in the hearts and minds of millions of women and girls."
She urged survivors to continue speaking out and seeking justice in whatever form they choose.
"The Me Too movement will continue into the future," she said.
Haley echoed those themes, saying her participation in the case was motivated by a desire to challenge a system that she believes has historically allowed powerful men to escape consequences.
"They just keep harming," she said. "I've seen [them] get away with it for decades."
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What Happens Next
While Weinstein remains incarcerated, his legal battles are not over.
Allred said California courts have not yet scheduled a date for Weinstein's resentencing hearing. That proceeding was ordered after a state appeals court ruled that the original California sentence could no longer rely, in part, on the now-vacated New York conviction from 2020.
According to Allred, Farber recommended serving the New York sentence consecutively to any California sentence rather than concurrently. If California imposes a sentence similar to the one prosecutors and victims have discussed, Weinstein could potentially face decades more behind bars.
The California judge will now determine a new sentence based on Weinstein's California convictions.
For Haley, however, Wednesday marked another milestone in a yearslong effort to secure accountability.
Reflecting on the outcome, she said she believed Judge Farber fairly weighed the circumstances of the case and Weinstein's conduct since his imprisonment.
"He has no remorse and he has absolutely shown no signs of being any different," Haley said of Weinstein, adding, "He is still orchestrating even from inside of prison ways to manipulate himself out of this instead of just taking accountability."
Despite the years of litigation, appeals and retrials, Haley said she was ultimately satisfied with the result.
"Overall," she said, "I was happy with how it went today."
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Samantha Beech and Gray R. Thomas
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