Gigi Hadid could be deciding the fate of Harvey Weinstein in the disgraced mogul’s criminal trial. The fashion model appeared in the Manhattan courtroom of Justice James Burke on Monday as a potential juror in the case.
Inside the courtroom during prescreening, Hadid said, “I have met the defendant” but said she could still be impartial. “I think I’m still able to keep an open mind on the facts.”
She received a juror questionnaire and is expected to return to court on Thursday.
She did not respond to questions after leaving the courtroom.
Jury selection continued on Monday in the criminal trial of Weinstein, who pleaded not guilty at his first indictment in August on five felony counts: two counts of predatory sexual assault, one count of first-degree criminal sexual assault, one count of first-degree rape and one count of third-degree.
Opening arguments in the trial are scheduled to begin on Jan. 22 for a trial expected to last about two months. If convicted of the charges in New York, he faces a mandatory life sentence.
Last week, prosecutors in Los Angeles charged Weinstein with sexually assaulting two women on successive nights during Oscars week in 2013. He is expected to plead not guilty to those charges as well.