The rape retrial of former Hollywood powerhouse Harvey Weinstein ended Friday in a mistrial after jurors told the court they were unable to reach a unanimous decision.
It is the second time a jury has failed to resolve the specific allegation that Weinstein raped Jessica Mann, an aspiring actress. A previous trial last year also ended in a deadlock on the same charge.
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While jurors could not agree on the Mann allegation, Weinstein has already been convicted of several other sex crimes and remains in prison. After three trials, the case surrounding this allegation is again unresolved.
His defense team has consistently argued that the encounter was consensual.
Prosecutors are expected to decide whether to seek another trial, with a hearing scheduled for June 24.
Weinstein, once one of the most powerful figures in Hollywood and a major political donor, saw his downfall begin when years of sexual harassment and assault allegations surfaced publicly in 2017. The disclosures helped spark the #MeToo movement, reshaping public accountability for sexual misconduct, destroying his studio, and leading to criminal prosecutions in New York and Los Angeles.
He has admitted to being unfaithful to his then-wife but has maintained, “I acted wrongly, but I never assaulted anyone.”
Jessica Mann, now 40, alleged she met Weinstein at a Los Angeles party in early 2013 while trying to build her acting career. She testified that what began as a professional interest from Weinstein soon became personal and unwanted.
In March 2013, she testified that she was staying with a friend at a Manhattan hotel when Weinstein arrived early for a planned breakfast, obtained a room despite her objections, and later met her there. She said she agreed to go to the room to talk, but made clear she did not want sex.
“I said ‘no,’ over and over, and I tried to leave,” she told jurors in her testimony.
Mann testified that Weinstein blocked her from leaving and grabbed her arms. She said that, out of fear, she stopped resisting, complied when he told her to undress, and lay on the bed while he went into the bathroom. She then said he raped her.
In the period after the New York encounter, Mann continued to communicate with Weinstein for months and years. At times, she pulled away while pursuing a relationship with another boyfriend, according to her emails and testimony.
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“I love u. Anything u need,” Weinstein wrote in one message.
After Weinstein’s 2020 conviction, she received about $500,000 from a sexual misconduct settlement fund created during his company’s bankruptcy. That payment was mentioned in last year’s retrial but was not raised in this proceeding after lengthy disputes over what evidence could be presented.
