Judge declares mistrial in Harvey Weinstein’s latest trial
A judge has declared a mistrial after a New York jury deadlocked in the Harvey Weinstein rape case involving aspiring actress Jessica Mann.
Prosecutors are dismissing Harvey Weinstein’s rape charges regarding Jessica Mann.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced in a June 25 press release that he would not retry Weinstein, 74, after the case ended in a mistrial in May. Bragg said the decision was made after discussions with Mann, who said he had “no desire to testify again” in his fourth trial in the case.
“In accordance with our survivor-centered prosecution approach, we have informed the court that we will not retry the remaining charges of third-degree rape,” the press release reads. “To be clear, we believe in Ms. Mann’s account and credibility as a witness.”
The release said the case was an “extraordinary ordeal for Mann, who never wavered as she testified before two grand juries and three trial juries over eight years. We thank her for her honesty and tremendous courage.”
Weinstein’s attorney, Judah Engelmayer, responded to the news in a statement to USA TODAY: “Mr. Harvey is relieved by today’s outcome. We believe this is the outcome that should have been reached from the beginning had the full extent of the emails, text messages and other private communications been presented to the grand jury.”
Engelmayer called Weinstein’s previous conviction “an overreach,” and said Weinstein’s lawyers “intend to contest the prosecution’s sentencing recommendation. Mr. Harvey has been a model inmate for nearly seven years, and we believe that record, along with other relevant factors, should be weighed at sentencing.”
Weinstein has long denied allegations of assault or nonconsensual sex, and at the start of his third trial in April, he pleaded not guilty to third-degree rape.
Jessica Mann breaks her silence after Harvey Weinstein’s rape charges are dismissed
In a statement obtained by USA TODAY, Munn explained in court that it was her decision not to pursue further litigation.
“This last trial made it clear to me that I couldn’t take it anymore,” she said in part. “In my fight for justice, this crime has taken nearly 10 years of my life and done more harm than good to me. It has irrevocably changed me and I will live forever. There is no compensation for that, a price I have been willing to pay many times.”
She continued, “I’m thinking of Harvey Weinstein, ‘Jack the Rapist.’ I just wish he would serve his sentence separately for the crimes he was convicted of, in honor of another day, another year, another time, another place, another time, another way, leaving the bodies of women mutilated in ruins.”
“If malicious people were walking around wearing dark antihero cloaks embroidered with a mission to conquer the world. How great it would be if we could collectively distinguish the forces of evil. How great if we could recognize predators like the antagonists in Hollywood movies,” she said.
Jessica Mann’s latest trial against Harvey Weinstein ended in a mistrial
The ruling came a month after a New York jury informed Judge Curtis Farber that it could not reach a verdict because it was deadlocked. The case stems from allegations that Weinstein raped Munn, an aspiring actress, in a Manhattan hotel room in 2013.
Weinstein, a former Hollywood producer, first went to trial in 2020, with a jury finding him guilty of raping Mann in 2013 and assaulting Miriam Haley, a former production assistant, in 2006. Mr. Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison, but his conviction was later overturned when a higher court ruled that Mr. Weinstein did not receive a fair trial.
Weinstein was retried in 2025 and found guilty of sexually abusing Hailey and acquitted of assaulting former model Kaja Sokola. The rape charge involving Mann ended in a mistrial due to a deadlocked jury, which ultimately happened again in the latest case.
Bragg said in a press release that his office “considers Mr. Mann’s position, and given Mr. Weinstein’s Class B felony conviction for the violent sexual assault of Miriam Haley, that there will be no fourth trial and, therefore, we have decided to dismiss the charges.”
“We also shared with the court our recommendation that Mr. Weinstein be sentenced to 20 years in prison, which accounts for the significant harm that Mr. Weinstein’s actions caused Ms. Haley,” Bragg added. “To the survivors of sexual assault in Manhattan, we want you to know that we believe in you and will fight for you. We are with them today and every day.”
Judi Dench says Harvey Weinstein ‘done his time’
Judi Dench has spoken out about Harvey Weinstein, saying in an interview that he “done his time” while serving a prison sentence for an assault conviction in New York.
In opening statements, prosecutor Candace White accused Weinstein of preying on Hollywood’s “vulnerable and sheltered” young women. Defense attorney Jacob Kaplan countered by arguing that Mann made up the accusations out of remorse over the romance.
Kaplan called Mann a “strong and capable” woman who had a consensual relationship with Weinstein and said in his opening statement that “this case will go against her word.”
After the mistrial was declared on May 15, Mann reacted to the outcome in a statement obtained by USA TODAY, saying, “Today’s decision to declare a mistrial in no way diminishes the truth I told or the violent crimes Harvey Weinstein committed against me and so many others.”
“I chose to testify in three trials because I am telling the truth,” she continued. “Over the years, I have had to relive some of the most difficult moments of my life while facing attempts to shame, humiliate, and discredit me in open court. I held myself to the highest standards, transparency, and accountability in coming forward through the judicial system, choosing integrity even if my heart was stripped away in the process.
“The power of predators remains too strong. I deserve justice. That’s why I’m standing up and facing intolerable public scrutiny in the name of the greater good: a world where predators have no power,” the statement concluded.
Weinstein is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence in California after a 2022 rape conviction, but he is appealing his conviction.
Contributed by: Reuters
