NEW YORK _ Harvey Weinstein's rape and sexual assault trial is still in the jury selection phase but it's already attracting some of the world's most famous faces.
Victoria's Secret model Gigi Hadid walked into Judge James Burke's 15th-floor courtroom Monday alongside 116 other New Yorkers tapped for potential jury duty in the fallen movie producer's trial in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Hadid, 24, was one of two people who put their hand up when Burke asked whether anybody knew a member of the defense or the prosecution.
"I have met the defendant," Hadid said, speaking into a microphone, before adding that she still felt she could judge the case impartially.
Hadid, seated in the foreperson's seat in the jury box, put her hand up again when Burke asked the jury pool whether anybody knew a person on the list of potential witnesses.
"I have met Salma Hayek and possibly Ryan Beatty," she said. "I think I'm still able to keep an open mind on the facts."
As the second week of jury selection got underway, the two parties began to sift through 108 questionnaires that have already been filled out _ a significant percentage of which Burke anticipates will be tossed.
Burke asked prosecutors to respond to the defense's Friday morning motion seeking the jury be sequestered but suggested that he'll ultimately deny the motion.
"Overall, my response is that the multiple stage method that we have set out," he said, "it just shows how well screening is working."
