The judge presiding over Harvey Weinstein’s case declared a mistrial on his remaining rape charge.
News first broke on Wednesday, June 11, that the jury found Weinstein, 73, guilty on one charge of criminal sexual act against former TV production assistant Miriam Haley and not guilty of the same charge involving former model Kaja Sokola. The jurors did not reach a decision for the Jessica Mann case on Wednesday after spending five days on the other two verdicts. They were ordered to return to court on Thursday, June 12, to continue their deliberations on the charges involving the former actress.
On Thursday morning, the “jury foreperson refused to return to the jury room Thursday after saying he faced threats from other jurors,” according to The Hollywood Reporter. Once the mistrial was declared, prosecutors revealed plans to retry Weinstein on the rape charge related to Mann, who said that she “is ready and willing and wants to retry this count.” A hearing for that charge has been set for July 2.
The disgraced movie producer was accused of forcing oral sex on Haley, now 48, at his New York City apartment in July 2006 and forcibly performing oral sex on Sokola, now 39, that same year, when she was 19. Mann, 39, accused Weinstein of raping her in a New York hotel room in 2013.
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Weinstein has denied all the allegations.
Weinstein’s legal issues began in 2017 when he was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women. In 2020, he was found guilty of rape and sexual assault charges in New York and sentenced to 23 years in prison. Two years later, Weinstein went to trial for misconduct claims in California. He was found guilty and sentenced to 16 additional years in jail.
Four years after his first guilty verdict, the New York Court of Appeals overturned Weinstein’s rape convictions in the state because of “egregious errors” of procedure and a retrial was ordered. The judge allowed victims to testify about allegations that were not part of the case.
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Weinstein remained behind bars due to his California conviction, which did not change. A retrial was scheduled for April, but before court began, the film executive pleaded with the judge for an earlier trial date as he struggled with multiple health issues. In October 2024, Weinstein was reportedly diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, a rare form of bone marrow cancer while behind bars. However, Weinstein’s trial went on with its planned date in April.
Last month, Weinstein gave his first on-camera interview with podcaster Candace Owens. In their discussion, Weinstein maintained his innocence.
“I did not commit these crimes. I swear that before God and the people watching now and on my family,” he said.
Weinstein shared that he also offered to undergo a lie detector test.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
