Weinstein retrial – A Manhattan jury deadlocked in Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial, forcing a mistrial and leaving the New York rape charge unresolved. Jurors split over whether prosecutors proved the allegation beyond a reasonable doubt, and a June 24 hearing will determine whet
Harvey Weinstein’s rape retrial ended Friday with a mistrial after jurors deadlocked, sending the New York criminal charge into limbo and underscoring how difficult the case has been for jurors to settle.
The majority-male Manhattan jury had been deciding whether Weinstein raped Jessica Mann, a hairstylist and actor.. The judge’s decision came as court officers ushered Weinstein out in his wheelchair; he appeared expressionless.. Weinstein’s lawyers argued the encounter was consensual. while prosecutors sought conviction for a rape allegation tied to events in 2013 during a fraught relationship between the then-married Weinstein and Mann. who was decades younger.
Juror Josh Hadar said he and eight other jurors wanted to acquit Weinstein. Hadar, 57, described a sharp swing in Mann’s testimony, saying she had an “incredible memory” when she testified for the prosecution but “forgot a lot of things” when questioned by defense attorneys.
“It spoke a little bit to her credibility. … In general, we feel kind of upset that we couldn’t come up with a verdict. We tried really hard,” Hadar said. Weinstein’s defense lawyer Marc Agnifilo called the result “a great day for our jury system.”
Juror Sarae Perez, 25, said the standard for conviction — beyond a reasonable doubt — was weighing on her.. “There were places where we couldn’t trust her word for it,” Perez said.. Mann. now 40. said in a statement that the mistrial “doesn’t in any way detract from the truth I told.” She said she relived painful moments and faced public attacks while seeking justice because “the power of predators remains too great.” Mann was not in court when the mistrial was declared.
A few hours into the jury’s third day of deliberations. jurors sent a note saying they could not reach a unanimous verdict.. Judge Curtis Farber told them to keep trying. a step commonly used when a jury signals it is stuck early on.. More than an hour later. the jury sent another note saying: “We feel that no one is going to change where they stand.”
A hearing is set for June 24 to determine whether prosecutors will pursue a fourth trial.. District Attorney Alvin Bragg said he was disappointed with the result but “we deeply respect the jury system.” Bragg said his staff will consult Mann about another trial and also take into account what happens to Weinstein when he’s sentenced in another case.
The path to this mistrial traces back to a case that has now gone to trial three times. with Weinstein convicted of some charges and acquitted of others.. Weinstein was convicted of the New York charge in 2020. but an appeals court overturned that verdict. and jury deliberations broke down at a 2025 retrial. setting up the current attempt.
Before the allegations that surfaced in 2017 reshaped the case. Weinstein was described as an Oscar-winning movie producer and studio boss and a significant Democratic donor.. The later revelations helped galvanize the #MeToo movement’s demands for accountability. made Weinstein a pariah. bankrupted the studio. and ultimately led to criminal charges in New York and Los Angeles.
Weinstein has said he was unfaithful to his then-wife and “acted wrongly. but I never assaulted anyone.” In this retrial. Weinstein did not testify.. Defense lawyers said Mann was a willing partner who turned on him after he became an outcast. and they described a relationship in which Weinstein continued to communicate and help her in the years following the New York encounter.
Mann testified that she met Weinstein at a Los Angeles party in early 2013 when she hoped to build acting credits into a bigger career.. She said Weinstein showed interest that soon went beyond professional attention.. She told jurors that his initial, pushy overtures discomfited her, but she acceded and decided to develop the relationship.
She said she was staying with a friend at a Manhattan hotel in March 2013 when Weinstein arrived early for a planned breakfast and got a room over her objections. Mann testified that she went with Weinstein to the room to talk and made it clear she didn’t want sex.
“I said ‘no,’ over and over, and I tried to leave,” she told jurors during five days of intense testimony.. Mann said Weinstein blocked her from leaving and grabbed her arms.. She testified that she became scared. gave up protesting. complied with his demands to undress. and laid on a bed while he went into a bathroom.. Then, she said, he raped her.
Mann said she did not tell anyone about the alleged rape for years.. She also did not mention it in introspective, private writing two days later.. In a note to herself. she grappled with conflicted feelings about becoming “emotionally attached” in a nonexclusive relationship with a man she didn’t name.
When Weinstein’s new lawyers confronted Mann with the note. she said she hadn’t needed to write down the allegation.. Mann has also spoken publicly about her allegations; her name was used in the case.. The Associated Press does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted. unless they choose to make their names public. as Mann has done.
Weinstein’s lawyers sought to portray Mann as supportive over time.. They pointed to emails and testimony describing how she continued seeing and communicating with Weinstein. sometimes pulling away to pursue and preserve a relationship with a new boyfriend and sometimes returning to Weinstein.. Defense attorneys said Weinstein validated her acting dreams. told her he was proud of her. and responded caringly when her father was terminally ill.
Weinstein wrote, “I love u.. Anything u need,” according to evidence presented.. Lawyers also described efforts that helped Mann land a movie audition that did not lead to a result and a hairstyling job.. Mann testified that she asked him for help with a car problem and a club membership. and she said she understood an envelope his office tried to send in summer 2013 included $1. 000 in cash because she couldn’t make rent.
Mann testified about one of her last emails to Weinstein in February 2017, in which she wrote: “I love you, always do. But I hate feeling like a booty call.” She said he suggested she was “joking” and should stop using his company email, and she replied that it was a joke and apologized.
Eight months later, she said she saw news reports that propelled his downfall and prompted her to go to police.
Mann never sued Weinstein. but after Weinstein’s 2020 conviction. she filed for and got about $500. 000 from a sexual misconduct settlement fund set up during his company’s bankruptcy.. The payout was mentioned at last year’s retrial. but defense lawyers did not raise it this time after extensive arguments about what could and couldn’t be said.
Harvey Weinstein mistrial jury deadlock Curtis Farber Alvin Bragg Jessica Mann #MeToo Manhattan jury June 24 hearing