Harvey Weinstein hires Luigi Mangione and Sean 'Diddy' Combs’ lawyers as his 3rd NY trial looms

NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein has hired Luigi Mangione and Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers to represent him at his third New York rape trial, reshaping his legal team after declining to end the matter with a guilty plea.

The lawyers, Jacob Kaplan, Marc Agnifilo and Teny Geragos, confirmed the move in court papers Tuesday. They take over for Weinstein’s longtime lawyer, Arthur Aidala, who ceded his courtroom role to focus on the ex-studio boss' appeals and pending civil matters.

Kaplan was a member of Weinstein’s original defense team in 2018 and is expected to have a leading role in his defense at the third trial, which involves a charge that the Oscar-winning producer raped hairstylist and actor Jessica Mann in a Manhattan hotel in 2013.

At a hearing in January, Weinstein insisted he “never assaulted anyone" and said his “spirit was breaking” after nearly six years behind bars.

The trial, postponed from a March 3 start, hasn't been rescheduled. Weinstein is due in court March 4 for a status conference. Legal publication Law360 first reported the legal team shake up.

Kaplan and Agnifilo are representing Mangione in his parallel state and federal cases in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. They succeed in getting terrorism charges thrown out in the state case and the death penalty barred in the federal case.

Agnifilo and Geragos represented Combs, achieving a split verdict and acquittals on sex trafficking and racketeering charges, and currently are among the lawyers defending wealthy brothers Alon, Oren and Tal Alexander at their sex trafficking trial in Manhattan federal court.

Kaplan, Agnifilo and Geragos are all partners at the Manhattan firm Agnifilo Intrater.

“Harvey believes that, after two prior trials on this matter, a recalibrated outlook and strategic approach offers the most effective path forward,” Weinstein spokesperson Juda Engelmayer said.

In a messy split verdict last June, Weinstein was convicted of forcing oral sex on one woman, Miriam Haley, acquitted of forcibly performing oral sex on another woman, Kaja Sokola, and the jury didn't decide on the rape charge involving Mann. Deliberations ended when the foreperson refused to participate further.

The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Haley, Sokola and Mann have done.

Weinstein and his lawyers argued that the retrial verdict was tainted by infighting and bullying among jurors. Judge Curtis Farber, who will also oversee the third trial, rejected that, telling Weinstein at the January hearing: “You had a fair trial.”

At his first trial, in 2020, Weinstein was convicted of raping Mann and forcing oral sex on Haley, but New York’s highest court overturned those convictions and ordered last year’s retrial. The Court of Appeals ruled that Weinstein was prejudiced by testimony about allegations that weren’t part of the case.

Weinstein and Aidala, who argued the appeal and represented Weinstein at his original trial and retrial, appeared to come to a mutual and amicable agreement about the lawyer’s shifting role.

“Our work does not end here,” Aidala said. "We will continue to advocate forcefully on his behalf in the appellate courts, where we are confident that serious legal errors will be addressed and his most significant conviction will ultimately be overturned.”

Kaplan, Agnifilo and Geragos are in the midst of several high-profile cases, including Mangione’s state trial slated to begin June 8, which could affect the timing of Weinstein’s trial. Even without accusers other than Mann, prosecutors have said it could take up to five weeks.

Weinstein faces up to 25 years in prison for the charge he was convicted on: first-degree criminal sex act involving Haley. The unresolved third-degree rape charge involving Mann is punishable by up to four years — less than he already has served.

The Oscar-winning producer has been behind bars since his initial conviction in 2020, and was sentenced to prison in a separate California case that he is appealing.

FILE - Harvey Weinstein appears in court in New York, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (Steven Hirsch/New York Post via AP, Pool, File)

FILE - Jacob Kaplan, center, an attorney for Keith Raniere leaves Federal Court, April 20, 2018, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

FILE - Sean "Diddy" Combs lawyer Teny Geragos arrives to the Manhattan federal court for the sentencing of Combs in New York, Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, File)

FILE - Marc Agnifilo, defense attorney for Sean "Diddy" Combs, arrives at court on July 1, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

FILE - Attorney Marc Agnifilo, left, and Teny Geragos, right, for Sean "Diddy Combs, arrive at Manhattan federal court, Oct. 10, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Tyler Austin's return to the major leagues has been put on hold for what Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell says will be months following a procedure on his right knee.

Counsell said Wednesday that Austin had a patellar tendon debridement procedure on his right knee Tuesday and will need a lengthy recovery period.

Austin, 34, signed a one-year deal with Chicago after spending six seasons with Yokohama in Japan's Pacific League. He was competing for playing time at designated hitter and also can play first base and the outfield.

Austin was selected by the New York Yankees in the 2010 amateur draft and on Aug. 13, 2016, combined Aaron Judge to become the first teammates to homer in their first major league at-bats in the same game.

Austin also played for Minnesota, Seattle and Milwaukee. and has hit .219 with 33 homers in four seasons in the majors. He was part of the 2021 U.S. Olympic team.

His contract, agreed to on Dec. 18, calls for a $1.2 million salary while in the major leagues and $400,000 while in the minors. Austin could earn $500,000 in performance bonuses for plate appearances: $50,000 for 175 and each additional 25 through 400.

His injury could create an opening for Michael Conforto to earn a bench spot on the team after Conforto agreed to a minor league deal on Monday.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Chicago Cubs' Tyler Austin juggles some baseballs at the team's photo day Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)