Logo

Sign up for our special edition newsletter to get a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic.

The Manhattan sex assault trial of a former Park Avenue neurosurgeon went on Thursday — despite three jurors calling out due to coronavirus.

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Ruth Pickholz told the court Thursday morning that three jurors — one who works in the Midtown WeWork-occupied building where an employee tested positive for coronavirus, one who reported he was suffering from shortness of breath, and one who was panicked about the spread of coronavirus — all called out for the day, as the prosecution’s opening arguments were slated to begin in the trial of Eric Braverman.

Pickholz said that the trial will proceed as planned and noted that that three alternate jurors will fill in for the jurors who called out.

“If we lose jurors, we lose jurors. What will be will be. We are proceeding,” the judge said.

Braverman, who ran an anti-aging clinic, is accused of molesting a woman during a massage at his private office in the Flatiron District in July 2017.

1 of 3
Eric Braverman
Eric BravermanSteven Hirsch
Eric BravermanSteven Hirsch
Advertisement

The victim, now 27, testified Thursday that she met Braverman at a real estate networking event and later went to see him after he promised a holistic cure for her eczema.

“He started massaging my upper back and his hand caressed lower unto my butt and then he actually inserted his fingers into me,” she said. “It was almost as if he was completely laying on top of me at one point.”

“When I got uncomfortable he said, ‘this is the fun part of the massage,’ and that was before he inserted his fingers inside me,” she said.

The woman said she fled the office so abruptly that she left her driver’s licenses behind. One month later, she said Braverman sent her a $395 bill for the session.

Barverman’s defense attorney, Donald Vogelman, countered during opening arguments that the woman was free to leave the office at any time and yet remained there for three hours.

She said witnesses “will testify she didn’t scream and she didn’t run out. They will say she was happy when she left.”

Vogelman had asked for the trial to be delayed over the missing jurors, and said he feared others would drop out along the way.

“I don’t want to delay the trial, but I heard in the news that it’s [coronavirus] spreading like crazy,” Vogelman said.

The judge denied the attorney’s request.

Braverman was arrested in October 2017 and charged with forcible touching and sexual abuse. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, officials said Thursday that people at risk for contracting coronavirus will soon be barred from entering New York State court buildings.

The new measures are expected to take effect Friday.

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy