Weinstein Trial: Three Witnesses Offer Corroboration

By Gene Maddaus

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – The prosecution in Harvey Weinstein’s trial called three witnesses on Thursday to back up the accounts of two women who allege they were sexually assaulted by the producer .

Lincoln Davies was the first called to the stand. He was Dawn Dunning’s boyfriend in 2004, when she alleges that Weinstein groped her during a meeting in a hotel suite, and offered her movie roles in exchange for having a threesome with him and his assistant.

Davies testified that Dunning was upset after returning from the second meeting.

“She was pretty shocked, upset, angry, kind of appalled,” he said.

The prosecution next called Maurizio Ferrigno, who was the manager at Cipriani Upstairs in 2005. A former waitress there, Tarale Wulff, testified on Wednesday that Weinstein cornered her in private area of the club and masturbated in front of her in 2005. Wulff also testified that Weinstein raped her after luring her to his apartment.

Ferrigno testified that he remembered Wulff as a “bubbly” person and a hard worker.

“She was a tall, model-like girl,” he said. “She was very attractive and very eager to work.”

Wulff testified that Ferrigno saw her and Weinstein go up the stairs to the private area, before he allegedly masturbated in front of her. Ferrigno confirmed that he saw them going upstairs, but it did not register as unusual or alarming.

“I didn’t make much of it,” he said.

On cross-examination, defense attorney Damon Cheronis asked how Ferrigno could remember a 15-year-old encounter, if it didn’t seem unusual at the time. He suggested that the D.A.’s office may have helped him.

“They had to jog your memory, didn’t they?” Cheronis said. “Did you remember that before they told you it happened?”

“Not really,” Ferrigno said.

Monika Mikkelsen was the next witness. She was the casting director on the 2006 film “Pulse,” which was produced by Bob Weinstein’s company, Dimension Films. Wulff testified on Wednesday that she was enticed to go to Weinstein’s office by the opportunity to audition for the part of Isabelle in the film. She said she was told to get into a car, which took her to Weinstein’s apartment, where she alleges that he raped her.

Mikkelsen testified that Christina Milian was offered the role of Isabelle by May 2004 — that is, a full year before Wulff’s meeting. She also testified that had nothing to do with casting on the film — underscoring the prosecution’s contention that the “audition” was merely a pretext to get Wulff into Weinstein’s apartment.

Weinstein is on trial for five counts of rape and predatory sexual assault. So far, four of the six accusers have testified.