The rape retrial of disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein ended in chaos after a New York judge declared a mistrial on the final unresolved charge, following allegations of jury intimidation and a dramatic exit by the foreperson.
The court proceedings were thrown into disarray on Thursday after the foreperson refused to continue deliberations, claiming he had been threatened by another juror and feared for his safety, as per ABC News. This marked the latest twist in a high-profile legal saga that has haunted the former Hollywood mogul for years. Weinstein, who has already been convicted of sexual offenses in both New York and California, had hoped this retrial would clear his name after his 2020 conviction in New York was overturned last year.
The state’s Court of Appeals had ruled that the original judge erred by allowing women to testify about allegations not directly tied to the charges. The retrial, which stretched over several weeks, saw the testimony of multiple women who accused Weinstein of leveraging his power in the entertainment industry to sexually assault them. Among them were former television assistant Miriam Haley, Polish model Kaja Sokola, and actress Jessica Mann. Last week, the jury returned a mixed verdict: Weinstein was found guilty of forcing a sex act on Haley in 2006 and acquitted of another charge involving Sokola. But the jury deadlocked on the 2013 rape allegation brought by Mann, prompting prolonged and tense deliberations.
Things took a dramatic turn when the jury’s foreperson informed the judge he could no longer participate due to ‘feeling afraid inside there,’ referring to the jury room. The judge acknowledged that deliberations could become intense but said there was no evidence others had witnessed anything overtly threatening. Defense lawyers immediately called for a full mistrial, while Weinstein himself stood up and appealed directly to the court, urging the judge to toss the case altogether. The request was denied, but with the foreperson refusing to continue and no alternate jurors available, the judge was left with no choice but to declare a mistrial on the unresolved charge.
Weinstein, 73, who is currently serving a 16-year sentence in California for a separate conviction, was not expected to walk free. However, his legal team is now expected to use the mistrial to mount further appeals. The fallen movie mogul has faced sexual misconduct allegations from over 100 women, accusations that sparked the global #MeToo movement and triggered a reckoning in Hollywood and beyond. Though not all cases reached the courts, Weinstein’s 2020 conviction was seen as a watershed moment for survivors seeking justice.
Now, with that conviction overturned and the rape charge unresolved, the long-running legal drama continues to cast a shadow over the man who once controlled some of Hollywood’s most influential studios. A new court date has been scheduled for July, where prosecutors are expected to confirm whether they intend to retry the unresolved rape charge.
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