Dancer says fear of Weinstein muted her sex assault response
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An attorney for Harvey Weinstein on Friday repeatedly challenged a woman over why she didn't raise more objections or leave the hotel room in Puerto Rico where she said he sexually assaulted her during a 2003 film shoot.
Attorney Mark Werksman asked the woman, known during Weinstein's Los Angeles rape and sexual assault trial only as Ashley M., whether she ever had a second thought where she said to herself, “I'm just going to walk right back out that door?”
“I was worried," she said. “I knew he was big and I didn’t know what to do,” she said.”
The woman was a 22-year-old dancer on the Puerto Rico set of the film “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights,” which was produced by Weinstein's company, Miramax.
In her first day of testimony Thursday, Ashley M. said that she went with Weinstein to the hotel because she had been assured she was headed to a meeting to discuss future opportunities, but she said once they were alone, Weinstein pushed her on to a bed, straddled her, and masturbated.
Werksman asked her whether she really didn't expect anything sexual after Weinstein, according to her earlier testimony, brought up getting a “naked massage” from her during their first conversation at the set.
She repeated that she had been reassured by the woman who was Weinstein's assistant at the time that she would remain with them, and that he only wanted to discuss future projects.
“I just basically did what I thought the people that were running the meeting wanted me to do. I really had no interest in being an actress. I had spent my life dancing," she said. "I was engaged to be married. I wanted to finally start my life, maybe finally wanted to start a family at that time.”
Weinstein's assistant did not follow them into the room, but withdrew and closed the door,...