Harvey Weinstein’s Third Manhattan Sex Crimes Trial Ruled Mistrial as Jury Deadlocks
By Adam Reiss and Daniel Arkin
The mistrial marks the second time a jury failed to reach a verdict on a rape charge tied to a former aspiring actor.
The judge in former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein’s third New York sex crimes case declared a mistrial Friday after the jury said it was deadlocked on a verdict.
In a note to Judge Curtis Farber, the jury said it could not reach a unanimous decision on the question of whether Weinstein raped former aspiring actor Jessica Mann in a Manhattan hotel in 2013.
The mistrial comes nearly a year after a different New York jury failed to reach a verdict on a charge tied to Mann’s allegations, which she recounted in wrenching detail on the witness stand.
“I see no reason to go any further,” Farber said. The panel had deliberated for approximately nine hours over three days.
Weinstein had pleaded not guilty to the charge of rape in the third degree. He has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex. He remains behind bars because of other sex crimes convictions in New York and Los Angeles.
In a statement, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said his office would “consider our next steps in consultation with Ms. Mann.”
“While we are disappointed that the proceedings ended with a mistrial, we deeply respect the jury system and sincerely thank all of the jurors for their time and dedication,” Bragg said.
In a separate statement, Mann said she believes the mistrial “doesn’t in any way detract from the truth I told and the violent crimes Harvey Weinstein committed upon me and so many others.”
“I chose to testify in three trials because I am telling the truth,” Mann said in part.
Marc Agnifilo, one of Weinstein’s defense attorneys, told reporters the final juror tally was 9-3 in favor of acquitting his client. He said he would encourage prosecutors not to try the case again.
“I’m very grateful for a jury of New Yorkers for listening to the evidence so closely,” Agnifilo said. “We felt like we made our points. We feel like the jury heard our points.”
Josh Hadar, one of the jurors, said some members of the panel raised concerns about Mann’s credibility.
“I think the general consensus is that … there was a lot of contradictions in her statements,” Hadar said in an interview outside the courthouse.
Hadar, 57, a visual artist and sculptor, said the jury “tried really hard” to reach a unanimous decision. “Everyone was very mindful and respectful and listened,” he said. “It was just one of those things where it was a tough decision all the way around.”
Weinstein was first convicted in early 2020 of third-degree rape involving Mann, but a New York state appeals court overturned the conviction in 2024, ruling that the judge had improperly allowed testimony about allegations not directly tied to the case.
The second trial took place last year. It ended with the jury convicting Weinstein of first-degree criminal sexual act for forcibly performing oral sex on former “Project Runway” production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006.
Weinstein was acquitted on a second first-degree criminal sexual act charge stemming from a similar allegation by former model Kaja Sokola.
NBC News legal analyst Danny Cevallos said he was not surprised the jury was deadlocked again. Cevallos said some people on the panel may have been “predisposed to disbelieve” Mann’s claims partly because she continued to correspond with Weinstein years after the alleged rape. Prosecutors argued that such behavior is common among sexual assault victims.
In recent years, Weinstein’s health has visibly declined and he has faced various medical issues, including a diagnosis of bone marrow cancer in 2024.
Weinstein was once a Hollywood kingmaker. Miramax, the distribution company he co-founded with his brother, released seminal independent films like “Clerks” and “Pulp Fiction.” He won an Oscar as a producer of “Shakespeare in Love.” In the 2010s, the Weinsteins’ second distribution label scored back-to-back best picture wins for “The King’s Speech” and “The Artist.”
But his reign came to an abrupt halt in 2017 after The New York Times and The New Yorker published exposés detailing his alleged pattern of sexual harassment and assault. The first wave of accusations against him in 2017 fueled the #MeToo movement, a reckoning with sexual misconduct by powerful people in elite professions.
In all, nearly 100 women have accused Weinstein of sexual assault or harassment. He has denied all allegations against him.
Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jury-deadlocked-harvey-weinsteins-third-manhattan-sex-crimes-trial-rcna345327
