A woman who testified in court that Harvey Weinstein raped her had a panic attack on the witness stand and abruptly ended her testimony during cross-examination Monday.
Mann returned to the witness stand after a brief break but could not compose herself. The attorneys tried to calm her down in open court, but Mann said she was having a panic attack and left the courtroom gasping for air. Holding a stress ball, she stumbled on her way out and grabbed the wall for support.
But during cross-examination, Weinstein attorney Donna Rotunno repeatedly asked Mann to acknowledge that she had manipulated Weinstein every time she interacted with him, making him believe she was interested in him when she wasn't.Rotunno read aloud Mann's emails and messages to Weinstein that appeared to show affection for him and continued after he allegedly raped and attacked her in March 2013.
Mann said that she did and said certain things to Weinstein to protect herself and her budding acting career."I guess you can say manipulation," she said. But Weinstein's attorneys have said the sexual incidents were consensual and have rejected prosecutors' stark predator versus prey dynamic. She described a harrowing scene in her testimony. Inside a hotel room, she tried to run out, but he slammed the door twice as she grabbed the handle, she testified. She then followed his orders to undress, and he laid on top of her and raped her, she said.