Harvey Weinstein's Defense Will Highlight His 'Relationships' with Accusers After Alleged Sex Assaults (Exclusive)

On Wednesday it was claimed Harvey Weinstein's defense will solely focus on attacking the investigating detective.

But a source close to the matter has told TooFab exclusively that this is not the case.

"That is not the only defense – there are several," the source said. "Demonstrating how there were indeed relationships before and after these said occurrences will present a somewhat different narrative than the ones being told on media over the past 18 or so months."

In a Hollywood Reporter article, criminal justice expert and retired NYPD Detective Sgt Joseph Giacalone claimed the only card left to play in the defense of the film producer, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by more than 80 women, was to go after perceived mistakes made by investigating officer Detective Nicholas DiGaudio.

"We're dealing with a case with no physical evidence," Giacalone said. "The defense can't go after the victims because they'll look like heels. So they go after the detective."

"Unfortunately [by withholding evidence], he gave them the opportunity. You wouldn't want to be this guy. All they have up their sleeve is to attack him."

In 2018 the Manhattan DA's office dropped a charge relating to then-college student and aspiring actress Lucia Evans, who claimed Weinstein forced her to perform oral sex in 2004. Prosecutors later disclosed that a woman who was with Evans on the night gave DiGaudio a contradicting account of what happened, but the officer instructed her to keep quiet, telling her "less is more" (prosecutors added DiGaudio denied making these comments).

Prosecutors were also bound by law to inform Weinstein's attorneys of a second breach of protocol by DiGaudio: they had asked a woman known as Complainant 2 to surrender her cellphones; she confided in DiGaudio that she was worried about private material on her phone unrelated to the case, and the detective told her to delete anything she didn't want prosecutors to see, saying "We just won't tell" them.

After consulting with an attorney, she ended up turning over the phones without deletion.

The president of the union for city police detectives Michael Palladino later defended his actions, saying: "A woman should not have to surrender confidential intimate information that's immaterial to the case to defend herself against a sexual predator. That's being victimized twice. Detective DiGaudio was sensitive to that."

Weinstein was arrested and charged with rape and several counts of sexual abuse stemming from two separate accusers in May of last year; he was released on $1m bail and ordered to wear an electronic tag.

Almost 90 women, including many famous actresses such as Rose McGowan, Salma Hayek, Ashley Judd, Rosanna Arquette, Kate Beckinsale and Gwyneth Paltrow have accused him of sexual misconduct. He denies all charges.

The trial begins on June 3.

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