NEW YORK _ The old Hollywood adage that all publicity is good publicity doesn't apply to Oscar-winning producer Harvey Weinstein.
Potential jurors in the sexual abuse trial of the one-time movie mogul were asked to answer five questions about all the pre-trial attention paid to the high-profile case as prosecutors and defense lawyers assembled Tuesday to pick a panel in what shapes up as a six-week trial.
"Good morning ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Supreme Court," said Judge James Burke as 120 jury candidates filed into his 15th floor courtroom. "The name of the case which is about to be tried here is the people of the State of New York vs. Harvey Weinstein."
Jurors, in a 16-page questionnaire, were asked if they heard about Weinstein and his case "in newspapers, the internet, on television, on radio, or in a magazine?"
For those jurors answering yes _ and it's hard to imagine a New Yorker unfamiliar with the sordid Weinstein allegations _ a follow-up question asks if that would impact their ability to serve as a fair and impartial arbiter.
Other jury questions were more simple: Do you have any children or grandchildren? Are you currently employed? Any family members or close friends working in the entertainment industry?
Burke also rejected an appeal from defense attorneys to delay the start of the trial over new sexual assault charges brought Monday against Weinstein in Los Angeles. The judge said the West Coast charges were "meaningless," adding that Weinstein's lawyers were still free to question the potential jurors about the California case.
"Stop trying to ring a bell that really has no resonance," Burke told defense attorney Arthur Aidala.
Weinstein has insisted that his dozens of accusers are lying, and that any sexual contact was consensual. Weinstein, on trial for sexually assaulting two New York women, now also faces allegations of rape and sexual assault in California.
Actress Annabella Sciorra, one-time star of "The Sopranos," is expected to testify against Weinstein in the Manhattan prosecution. Weinstein, in a grey suit and tie, walked into court with the aid of a walker before the jury selection kicked off.
