Prosecutors drop – Prosecutors dismissed Harvey Weinstein’s remaining, unresolved New York rape charge after his accuser, Jessica Mann, told the court she could no longer endure testifying again. The move ends a case that had already gone through an overturned conviction and two
Harvey Weinstein left the Manhattan courtroom with a neutral expression Thursday, and the weight of a case that had dragged on for years finally shifted—at least on one charge. Prosecutors dropped the unresolved New York rape case, ending the possibility of a fourth trial.
The decision came after Jessica Mann. the hairstylist and actor who had testified at all three prior trials. told prosecutors she could not bear to return to the stand. In a letter quoted in court by prosecutor Nicole Blumberg. Mann said she could “no longer endure going through this.” She called the case—now an 8-year ordeal—something that had “put me through more harm than good.”.
With that, Judge Curtis Farber formally dismissed the charge.
Weinstein still faces serious consequences. He remains convicted of another sexual felony in New York and is also convicted in California. where he was found guilty of raping a third woman. an Italian actor. in a case he is appealing. He remains behind bars as prosecutors prepare his next steps. New York sentencing on the separate sexual assault conviction involving a different woman is scheduled for September. with prosecutors seeking a 20-year prison term.
Once the New York punishment is set and served, Weinstein is due to serve 16 years in California. He is appealing both California convictions, as well as the New York convictions tied to other charges.
Mann’s testimony had been central throughout the case. Across the trials, she told jurors Weinstein raped her in a Manhattan hotel in 2013. She testified extensively about a complex, on-and-off relationship she had with him before and after the alleged assault. Weinstein denied the allegation and said everything between him and Mann was consensual.
After the dismissal, Weinstein’s lawyers said the charge should never have been brought. Outside court, lawyer Jacob Kaplan said: “These charges should never have been brought to begin with. He is innocent.”
Mann testified that she and Weinstein had a consensual relationship that was intermittent. But she also described repeated attempts to leave and said no to any sexual activity. She told jurors that on March 18. 2013. Weinstein cornered her in a hotel room after they had planned to meet in the lobby for breakfast—an encounter that she said he changed when he spontaneously took a room.
She said he persisted, demanding that she undress and grabbing her arms until she was afraid to continue protesting.
The most recent trial took a visible toll on Mann during five days of testimony this spring. During her testimony. she was questioned for the first time about a diarylike. soul-baring note she wrote two days after the alleged rape; she testified that the note did not mention the incident. At one point, Mann said she was struggling to focus, and the court wrapped up early for the day.
In her letter to the court Thursday, Mann said she suffered a concussion shortly before her testimony. She described headaches and other symptoms on the stand, and said she ultimately “disassociated.” She wrote that this was “a humiliating addition to an already crushing experience.”
“I have been fragmented, silenced, defamed and traumatized. I’ve paid the price of my reputation,” Mann wrote. She said her experience showed that “pursuing justice is better left a pipe dream.”
Prosecutors acknowledged both Mann’s account and her position. Blumberg told the court prosecutors believe Mann and praised her “bravery, strength, courage and inspiration” to other survivors. But given Mann’s feelings about proceeding, Blumberg said “dismissal is appropriate.”
The dismissed charge was a low-level felony punishable by up to four years in prison—less time than Weinstein has already served.
The New York rape case had remained unresolved for years. Weinstein had previously been convicted in this matter. only for an appeals court to overturn that verdict for reasons unrelated to Mann’s testimony. Jury deliberations then broke down at a 2025 retrial, and jurors deadlocked again at this year’s retrial.
Weinstein did not testify at any of the trials. During and after the 2025 retrial, he complained that the process was unfair, but the judge disagreed.
Weinstein’s legal team has maintained that the accusations described consensual sexual liaisons with a powerful film studio boss who could help advance careers. Weinstein himself has said he “acted wrongly, but I never assaulted anyone.”
Weinstein, 74, rose to extraordinary influence in Hollywood. As the producer of hits and awards-carrying films including “Shakespeare in Love. ” “Pulp Fiction” and “Chocolat. ” his fall accelerated after a wave of sexual misconduct allegations became public in 2017—allegations that fueled the #MeToo campaign for accountability and led to criminal charges in both New York and Los Angeles.
He denied all of them and was acquitted of some, even as he was convicted of others. During a series of trials, he was convicted in 2020 of raping Mann. That conviction was overturned on appeal. and the remaining proceedings never produced a final resolution—until Thursday. when prosecutors moved to end this particular charge.
The Associated Press does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted, unless they choose to be named, as Mann has done.
Harvey Weinstein Jessica Mann New York rape charge dismissed #MeToo Curtis Farber Nicole Blumberg Jacob Kaplan Manhattan Supreme Court September sentencing California convictions appeals