Closing arguments continue in Harvey Weinstein's trial in New York City

NEW YORK -- Closing arguments continued Wednesday in the retrial of disgraced music mogul Harvey Weinstein, whose fate will be in the hands of a jury.

Weinstein, 73, decided not to testify. He's charged with assaulting three women more than a decade ago.

During a short break Wednesday afternoon, the defense asked again for a mistrial. The judge denied the request and cautioned the prosecutor to be mindful of her words.

The jury of seven women and five men will likely get the case on Thursday.

The Manhattans District Attorney's office over the past weeks has called two dozen witnesses over the duration of the trial to testify in the case.

The two sides took very different tones in their closing arguments, which were due to conclude Wednesday.

Weinstein's lawyer, Arthur Aidala, veered into folksy jokes and theatricality - sometimes re-enacting witnesses' behavior - as he contended that his client engaged in a "courting game," not crimes.

Prosecutor Nicole Blumberg, as direct as Aidala was discursive, urged jurors to focus on Weinstein's accusers and their days of grueling testimony.

"This was not a 'courting game,' as Mr. Aidala wants you to believe. This was not a 'transaction,'" she told jurors. "This was never about 'fooling around.' It was about rape."

Weinstein had his original 2020 conviction overturned after an appeal was filed by his legal team.

The sex crimes trial put a spotlight on alleged forcible sex acts from as far back as 2006 on two women, and the rape of Jessica Mann in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013.

Prosecutors say he used his power, dangling career advancement persuading the women into rooms where he overpowered and sexually assaulted them.

Weinstein's lawyers argued his accusers enjoyed a "mutually beneficial relationship."

Weinstein has denied all allegations and pled not guilty to the charges he faces.

The movie star remains in prison as he was also convicted in Los Angeles in 2022 of another rape.

(Some information from the Associated Press)