What to Know About Harvey Weinstein's Conviction and the Split Verdict
The jury in Harvey Weinstein's sex crimes retrial delivered a split verdict against the disgraced movie mogul on Wednesday, convicting him of one charge, acquitting him of another, and failing to come to a consensus on a third.
Weinstein has been accused by numerous women of sexual harassment, assault, and misconduct over the span of about three decades. The accusations levied against him sparked the landmark #MeToo movement, and his convictions in New York on rape and sexual assault charges in 2020 and on sexual offenses in Los Angeles in 2022 were seen as victories for the movement. But last year, the case against him in New York was thrown into limbo when the state's top court overturned his conviction and sent the case back to the Manhattan courthouse.
Here's what to know about the case, and the jury's Wednesday verdict.
Why was Weinstein being retried?
Weinstein was initially convicted in 2020 of sexual assault and rape in the third degree, and acquitted of predatory sexual assault and of first-degree rape. But in 2024, the New York Court of Appeals overturned his conviction, saying that the appointed judge had prejudiced Weinstein's case by permitting prosecutors to bring women who were not directly tied to the charges to the stand.
Three women—Lauren Young, Dawn Dunning, and Tarale Wulff—testified in 2020 about their interactions with Weinstein. The testimony was permitted under a New York state law that allows testimony on 'prior bad acts' to show behavioral trends.
But New York's top court said that the three women's testimonies 'served no material non-propensity purpose.'
With Weinstein's conviction overturned, the case went to a retrial.
What did the jury decide?
Jurors on Wednesday convicted the former movie mogul of forcibly subjecting a person to a criminal sex act, related to an incident in 2006. But they acquitted him of another criminal sex act charge stemming from a 2006 incident.
As of Wednesday afternoon, they were unable to reach a verdict on a charge that Weinstein raped a woman in 2013. Jurors are set to return to the courthouse on Thursday to continue deliberations for the remaining charge, the New York Times reported.
Weinstein, who has repeatedly denied sexually assaulting or raping anyone, had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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Associated Press
33 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Weinstein case judge declares mistrial on remaining rape charge as jury foreperson won't deliberate
NEW YORK (AP) — Harvey Weinstein 's sex crimes retrial came to a disjointed end Thursday as the jury foreperson declined to deliberate and the judge declared a mistrial on a remaining rape charge, a day after a split verdict on other charges in the landmark #MeToo-era case. The outcome positions the ex-studio boss for a third New York trial — prosecutors said they're ready to retry the rape count — even as he faces a new sentencing on his sexual assault conviction. Weinstein, 73, denies all the charges. The Oscar-winning movie producer had a blank, drained expression as court officers escorted him out Thursday in his wheelchair. His lawyer said he plans to appeal. 'What happened in that jury room was absolutely improper,' attorney Arthur Aidala said outside court. Weinstein is due back in court July 2 for discussion of retrial and sentencing dates. His first-degree criminal sex act conviction carries the potential for up to 25 years in prison, while the unresolved third-degree rape charge is punishable by up to four years — less than he already has served. He's been behind bars since his initial conviction in 2020, and he later also was sentenced to prison in a separate California case, which he's appealing. In Wednesday's partial verdict, Weinstein was convicted of one criminal sex act charge but acquitted of another. Both concerned accusations of forcing oral sex on women in 2006. Those verdicts still stand. While the jury of seven women and five men was unanimous on those decisions, it got stuck on the rape charge involving another woman, Jessica Mann. The hairstylist and actor testified at length — as she did in 2020 — that Weinstein raped her amid a years-long consensual relationship. 'I will never give up on myself and making sure my voice – and the truth – is heard,' Mann said in a statement Thursday, confirming she's ready to testify yet again. Jury-room strains started leaking into public view Friday, when a juror asked to be excused because he felt another was being treated unfairly. Then Monday, the foreperson complained that other jurors were pushing people to change their minds and talking about information beyond the charges. The man raised concerns again Wednesday, telling the judge he felt afraid in the jury room because another juror was yelling at him for sticking to his opinion and suggested the foreperson would 'see me outside.' When Judge Curtis Farber asked the foreperson Thursday whether he was willing to return to deliberations, the man said said no. And with that, Farber declared a mistrial on the rape count. Two jurors disputed the foreperson's account as they left court. One, Chantan Holmes, said that no one mistreated the man and that she believed he was just tired of deliberating. 'We all felt bad. Because we really wanted to do this. We put our hearts and souls in here,' she said. Another jury member, who identified himself only by his juror number, said the deliberations were contentious, but respectful. Weinstein's 2020 conviction seemed to cement the downfall of one of Hollywood's most powerful men in a pivotal moment for the # MeToo movement. The anti-sexual-misconduct campaign was fueled by allegations against him. But that conviction was overturned last year, and the case was sent back for retrial in the same Manhattan courthouse. Weinstein's accusers said he exploited his Tinseltown influence to dangle career help, get them alone and then trap and force them into sexual encounters. 'These hopeful young women were trying to follow their dreams in a world that he controlled,' Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, said at a news conference Thursday. Weinstein's defense portrayed his accusers as Hollywood wannabes and hangers-on who willingly hooked up with him to court opportunity, then later said they were victimized to collect settlement funds and #MeToo approbation. Miriam Haley, the producer and production assistant whom Weinstein was convicted — twice, now — of sexually assaulting, said outside court Wednesday that the new verdict 'gives me hope.' Accuser Kaja Sokola also called it 'a big win for everyone,' even though Weinstein was acquitted of forcibly performing oral sex on her when she was a 19-year-old fashion model. Her allegation was added to the case after the retrial was ordered. Holmes, the juror who spoke outside court, said the panel all felt Sokola 'wasn't credible.' The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted, unless they agree to be identified. Haley, Mann and Sokola did so. ___ Associated Press journalists Joseph B. Frederick and Ted Shaffrey contributed.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Harvey Weinstein's New York Case Isn't Over Yet
There's one conviction in Harvey Weinstein's New York criminal case, but the saga continues. A jury of 12 had found Weinstein guilty Wednesday of one count of a criminal sexual act against former Project Runway assistant Miriam Haley, but not guilty of the other count of a criminal sexual act against former model Kaja Sokola. More from The Hollywood Reporter Harvey Weinstein Gets Mistrial on Rape Charge After Threats to Jury Foreperson Harvey Weinstein Trial Witnesses React to Mixed Verdict, See Win for #MeToo Movement Harvey Weinstein Receives Mixed Partial Verdict as Deliberations Heat Up in Criminal Case The jurors were sent home Wednesday afternoon, amid inflamed tensions and one juror saying he was being threatened by others, with plans to resume deliberating the next day on the remaining charge of rape in the third degree. However, on Thursday, the juror refused to return to the deliberation room and a mistrial was called on that charge. Prosecutors said they plan to retry Weinstein on the rape charge. The criminal sexual act conviction is a higher felony charge than rape in the third degree and carries a maximum prison sentence of 25 years. Asked why the Manhattan District Attorney's office was still pursuing the retrial charge – which will be Weinstein's third trial on that charge – DA Alvin Bragg said it was on behalf of Jessica Mann, who was the complaining witness on that charge. 'It's about the survivors and, yes, Harvey Weinstein is going to be held accountable for his conduct as to Ms. Haley, and he's facing a very significant term of imprisonment for that, but the jury was not able to reach a conclusion as to Ms. Mann, and she deserves that,' Bragg said. 'I will never give up on myself and making sure my voice – and the truth – is heard. I have told the District Attorney I am ready, willing and able to endure this as many times as it takes for justice and accountability to be served. Today is not the end of my fight,' Mann said in a statement. Mann also testified in Weinstein's 2020 trial, making this upcoming trial her third time on the stand. The verdict in Weinstein's 2020 rape and criminal sexual assault conviction was overturned in April 2024 after the court of appeals found the trial prejudiced Weinstein with improper rulings, including allowing women to testify about allegations that were not part of the case. Conversely, Weinstein's attorney, Arthur Aidala, said his team is continuing to look into juror misconduct and file motions with Judge Curtis Farber to bring the jurors back in and try to find out what happened in the jury room. (He pushed for this many times over the past few days, but was denied by Farber.) 'None of us have ever heard of that, where a jury is so intimidating, a grown man who was in good physical shape in his late 30s, [says], 'I'm afraid to go back into the deliberating room'. If that doesn't cast doubt on the verdicts here, I don't know what would, so this is not over,' Aidala told press outside the courthouse. The goal is to get the conviction thrown out. However, the jury had reached unanimous verdicts on the other two counts, and the foreperson had said in court that he was not coerced into those decisions. If that doesn't happen, Aidala plans to appeal Weinstein's conviction on the one felony charge. He added that he did not know whether Weinstein will remain at Bellevue Hospital, where he's been throughout the trial, or return to Rikers. Aidala's team has repeatedly pointed to their client's poor health over the past months, and he said that would also be something they bring up during sentencing. Weinstein also still faces a 16-year prison sentence in California, after being convicted in 2022 of rape and other sex crimes. Aidala's team has also appealed that conviction. 'Mr. Weinstein started off with a 23-year prison term when we left here on March 11 of [2020]. Those numbers are now out the window,' Aidala said. 'Of course, Mr. Weinstein is disappointed. He has maintained his innocence from the day I met him in 2019. In 2020, when I sat next to when the verdict came in guilty on [Miriam Haley] he said to me, 'How could this happen? I'm innocent. I'm innocent.' He basically said the same thing yesterday to Mr. Cibella who sat next to him.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Hollywood's Highest-Profile Harris Endorsements: Taylor Swift, George Clooney, Bruce Springsteen and More
Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Watch: California Sen. Alex Padilla forcefully removed from Homeland Security chief's news conference
California's U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a press conference held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other Trump administration officials Thursday morning. 'I am Sen. Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary,' the Democratic senator said as he was being pushed out of the room by multiple people. He is not currently detained, his office said later Thursday.'Sen. Padilla is currently in Los Angeles exercising his duty to perform congressional oversight of the federal government's operations in Los Angeles and across California,' Padilla's office said. 'He was in the federal building to receive a briefing with General Guillot and was listening to Secretary Noem's press conference. He tried to ask the Secretary a question, and was forcibly removed by federal agents, forced to the ground and handcuffed. He is not currently detained, and we are working to get additional information.' Video shows Padilla kneeling on the ground after being removed from the room before officers push him to the ground and handcuff him with his arms behind his back. Noem continued to speak from the federal building on the westside of Los Angeles, several miles from downtown Los Angeles, where the large immigration protests have been taking place, saying federal immigration enforcement efforts are going to continue in the area. 'We are not going away,' Noem said. 'We are staying here to liberate the city from the socialist and the burdensome leadership that this governor and this mayor have placed on this country and this city.' Noem alleged that federal buildings were surrounded by more than 1,000 'violent rioters' on Friday night, June 6, adding that it took LAPD more than two hours to respond. 'So we are going to continue to operate with our federal partners and continue to keep asking the governor and the mayor for their support and their backup in these operations to make sure that all of our law enforcement officers are protected while they do their work,' she said. 'We're going to protect American cities from lawlessness, and we'll do what it takes to put American citizens first,' she said. When asked by reporters, Noem said she stayed 'close' to downtown when she got into town. She said she spent Thursday morning in various parts of the Los Angeles area while out 'on operations' with law enforcement. She was spotted by the New York Times accompanying federal immigration enforcement officers during a search at a home in Huntington Park earlier in the morning. Meanwhile, California Democrats quickly came to Padilla's defense. Newsom said the senator is 'one of the most decent people I know.' 'This is outrageous, dictatorial and shameful,' Newsom said. 'Trump and his shock troops are out of control. This must end now.' 'This is totally unacceptable,' said Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano. 'Senator Alex Padilla has been my friend for over 20 years — a decent, honorable public servant and a proud son of the American dream. I stand with him fully as we demand accountability and transparency.' Bass said, 'This administration's violent attacks on our city must end.' Padilla, 52, became California's first Latino U.S. senator in 2021, when he was appointed to the seat after Kamala Harris became the vice president. Padilla is the son of Mexican immigrants who settled the family in a working-class San Fernando Valley neighborhood. His father rose from dishwasher to short-order cook while his mother cleaned houses. Padilla found his way to MIT, where he went from engineer to L.A. City Council, and from there to the state legislature and from there to becoming the state's elections chief, responsible for administering the 2020 election, the first to include mail-in ballots to all registered voters. Speaking to reporters when leaving the federal building, Noem accused Padilla of 'lunging' during the press conference without identifying himself. Video does show Padilla stating his name. She also said the two did speak following the press conference and exchanged phone numbers for further conversations. Noem also said she has left voicemails for Newsom, who she said has not returned her calls. About a dozen journalists who showed up to cover the administration's press conference were not allowed to enter Thursday morning.
