Gigi Hadid To Be Part Of Jury In Harvey Weinstein Trial?

Gigi Hadid could become the first celebrity to be a juror in the ongoing trial of Harvey Weinstein, who has been charged on various counts of sexual assault by more than 80 women.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the 24-year-old supermodel was present in the courtroom in New York where more than 100 people were invited to become the potential jurors in the case. One of them was Hadid. Judge James Burke, who would be listening to the facts about the case, asked every single one of them if they know Weinstein or any of the people who are expected to come down to the court as witnesses.

To which the former Victoria’s Secret Angel said that she has met the film producer once and also knows one of the victims, Salma Hayek. In 2017, Hayek told The New York Times that Weinstein threatened to kill her when she refused to do what he wanted her to. At the time, she also noted that Weinstein used to “berate” her continuously and forced her to do a full-frontal nude sex scene in the movie “Frida” even when such a scene was never part of the script.

Meanwhile, Judge Burke also asked Hadid if she would be able to take this case forward in a neutral manner and only make a decision when she has heard all the facts of the ongoing trial. Hadid agreed and said she has an “open” mind to all the facts that would come to her as the case progresses.

The news of Hadid’s presence in the courtroom was first reported on Twitter by New York Daily News reporter Molly Crane-Newman.

“Gigi Hadid was among 120 New Yorkers summoned for jury duty this morning at Harvey Weinstein’s rape and sexual assault trial because mark my word, there will not be a dull moment,” Crane-Newman said.

A lot has been going on in the case regarding Weinstein. Last month, it was reported that he and his company, The Weinstein Company, has done a $25 million settlement with all the women who have accused him of sexual harassment. But the announcement took a high-voltage jolt when a former model refused to be a part of the settlement and alleged that the disgraced producer sexually assaulted her when she was 16.

In the complaint papers obtained by Variety, the former model also insisted that she does not want to be part of the settlement because she believes that by giving money, Weinstein is just avoiding the accountability of what he has done to her and many others.

As of late, more than 80 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct, including dozens of A-list actresses, namely: Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cara Delevingne, Kate Beckinsale, Lena Headey, Lupita Nyong’o, Uma Thurman and Lea Seydoux.