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Harvey Weinstein judge declares mistrial on rape charge, third sex crimes trial planned
Harvey Weinstein judge declares mistrial on rape charge, third sex crimes trial planned

RNZ News

timea day ago

  • Entertainment
  • RNZ News

Harvey Weinstein judge declares mistrial on rape charge, third sex crimes trial planned

By Jack Queen and Jonathan Stempel , Reuters Haevey Weinstein as jury selection began in April Photo: AFP / Getty Images / Pool The judge overseeing Harvey Weinstein's criminal case in Manhattan declared a mistrial on a rape charge on Thursday, one day after the former Hollywood movie mogul was convicted on a felony sex abuse charge . Justice Curtis Farber ended the trial after the jury foreperson refused to continue deliberations, following multiple days of reported dissension among jurors that at times was aired in the courtroom. Prosecutors plan to try Weinstein a third time on the charge of third-degree rape, over his alleged mistreatment of the aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013. Farber said the case will proceed to trial, and set a hearing for 2 July. The jury on Wednesday convicted Weinstein on a separate charge of first-degree criminal sexual act, over his alleged assault of former production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006. Jurors acquitted him of the same charge over his alleged assault of aspiring actress Kaja Sokola in 2002. Weinstein, 73, had pleaded not guilty to all three criminal counts, and has denied assaulting anyone or having non-consensual sex. He plans to appeal his conviction, which carries a maximum prison term of 25 years. His lawyer Arthur Aidala told reporters outside the courthouse that "we have very powerful evidence of gross jury misconduct at this trial," including that they improperly considered outside evidence concerning Weinstein's conduct. Weinstein is separately appealing a 2022 rape conviction in California , for which he was sentenced to 16 years in prison. He has had many health problems, and attended the Manhattan trial in a wheelchair. Because of the California conviction, Weinstein has been in custody in the months leading up to the Manhattan trial, both at the notorious Rikers Island jail and in a Manhattan hospital. The trial began on 23 April. Weinstein co-founded the Miramax studio, whose hit movies included such Academy Award winners as Shakespeare in Love and Pulp Fiction . Weinstein's downfall began in 2017 and helped spark the #MeToo movement, which encouraged women to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct by powerful men. A different jury in the Manhattan court had found Weinstein guilty in 2020 of raping Mann and sexually assaulting Haley, but New York state's highest court overturned that conviction last year . More than 100 women have accused Weinstein of misconduct. Thursday's mistrial came one day after the jury foreperson told Farber that other jurors were shouting at and threatening him for refusing to change his vote on the rape count. The foreperson did not indicate publicly how he planned to vote, and Farber sent jurors home to cool off. The prosecution told the 12 jurors in closing arguments on 3 June that the evidence showed how Weinstein used his power and influence to trap and abuse women. The defence countered that the accusers lied on the witness stand out of spite after their consensual sexual encounters with the Oscar-winning producer failed to result in Hollywood stardom. Weinstein's eponymous film studio filed for bankruptcy in March 2018, five months after sexual misconduct accusations against him became widely publicized. - Reuters

Jury in Weinstein Trial Was Ordered to Cool Down Amid Shouting and Threats
Jury in Weinstein Trial Was Ordered to Cool Down Amid Shouting and Threats

New York Times

time2 days ago

  • New York Times

Jury in Weinstein Trial Was Ordered to Cool Down Amid Shouting and Threats

The jurors who decided Harvey Weinstein's fate in his New York retrial were ordered to take a break and 'cool down' earlier on Wednesday, as their discussions seemingly broke down amid shouting and threats. The unusual admonishment came after a private meeting between a juror and the judge overseeing the trial — the third such conversation in a trial marked by jury problems — and led Mr. Weinstein to appeal directly to the judge for a mistrial. The pause came only hours before the verdict on Wednesday, when the jury's foreman asked to speak to the judge, Justice Curtis Farber, and was taken into a backroom where he told the judge and the lawyers his concerns. Nearly 30 minutes later, Justice Farber returned to the bench and said the man had said that he was upset that others were trying to change his mind. At least one juror, the judge said, told the man, 'I will see you outside one day.' The extraordinary exchange led to Mr. Weinstein's directly address the judge, saying the infighting inside the jury of seven women and five men, was resulting in an unfair trial. 'This is not right for me, for me the person on trial here,' he said. 'This is my life on the line and you know what, it's not fair. It's simple. It's not fair.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Jury Begins Deliberations in Harvey Weinstein's New York Rape and Sexual Assault Retrial
Jury Begins Deliberations in Harvey Weinstein's New York Rape and Sexual Assault Retrial

CNA

time05-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • CNA

Jury Begins Deliberations in Harvey Weinstein's New York Rape and Sexual Assault Retrial

NEW YORK: Jurors in Harvey Weinstein's rape and sexual assault retrial began deliberations on Thursday (Jun 5) morning, following final instructions from New York Supreme Court Justice Curtis Farber. The judge urged them to independently assess the credibility of three women who accused the former Hollywood mogul of sexual assault, which the defense argued were fabrications. Weinstein, 73, is charged with raping aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013 and sexually assaulting two other women in 2006 and 2002. He has pleaded not guilty and continues to deny all allegations of non-consensual sex or assault. The retrial was necessitated after a New York appeals court overturned his 2020 conviction in April 2024, citing judicial errors. If convicted, Weinstein faces up to 25 years in prison for two counts of criminal sexual acts and up to four years for one count of rape. He is already serving a 16-year sentence following a 2022 rape conviction in California. During Thursday's proceedings, Weinstein thanked the judge and court staff, calling his treatment 'incredibly fair.' This followed an unsuccessful motion for mistrial by his defense lawyer, Arthur Aidala, after a sick juror was replaced with an alternate. PREDATORY BEHAVIOUR Prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office described Weinstein as a manipulative industry figure who used his power to lure women into vulnerable situations. 'He held the golden ticket, the chance to make it or not,' said prosecutor Nicole Blumberg during closing arguments on Wednesday. 'He made each of these women feel small, no match for the power broker of Hollywood.' The prosecution contends that Weinstein systematically offered career opportunities before isolating his victims and assaulting them. CONSENSUAL ENCOUNTERS Weinstein's legal team maintains that the encounters were consensual and that the women are retroactively recasting them as assaults out of regret or opportunism. "They are lying about what happened. Not about everything, but about a small slice - just enough to turn their regret, their buyers' remorse, into criminality," Aidala said in his closing remarks on Tuesday. Weinstein's 2020 conviction was a landmark moment for the #MeToo movement, which spotlighted sexual misconduct by powerful men. After it was overturned, Weinstein was transferred from upstate New York to Rikers Island, where he has experienced multiple health issues, including emergency heart surgery in September. More than 100 women, including several prominent actresses, have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct. He has consistently denied all allegations. Miramax, the film studio he co-founded, produced numerous acclaimed films including Pulp Fiction and Shakespeare in Love. Weinstein's personal studio declared bankruptcy in 2018, months after widespread reports of his alleged misconduct became public.

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