There’s one conviction in Harvey Weinstein‘s New York legal case, however the saga continues.
A jury of 12 had discovered Weinstein guilty Wednesday of 1 depend of a legal sexual act in opposition to former Project Runway assistant Miriam Haley, however not responsible of the opposite depend of a legal sexual act in opposition to former mannequin Kaja Sokola.
The jurors have been despatched dwelling Wednesday afternoon, amid infected tensions and one juror saying he was being threatened by others, with plans to renew deliberating the subsequent day on the remaining cost of rape within the third diploma. However, on Thursday, the juror refused to return to the deliberation room and a mistrial was called on that cost. Prosecutors mentioned they plan to retry Weinstein on the rape cost.
The legal sexual act conviction is the next felony cost than rape within the third diploma and carries a most jail sentence of 25 years. Asked why the Manhattan District Attorney’s workplace was nonetheless pursuing the retrial cost – which will likely be Weinstein’s third trial on that cost – DA Alvin Bragg mentioned it was on behalf of Jessica Mann, who was the complaining witness on that cost.
“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 mentioned.
“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 mentioned in a press release.
Mann additionally testified in Weinstein’s 2020 trial, making this upcoming trial her third time on the stand. The verdict in Weinstein’s 2020 rape and legal sexual assault conviction was overturned in April 2024 after the courtroom of appeals discovered the trial prejudiced Weinstein with improper rulings, together with permitting girls to testify about allegations that weren’t a part of the case.
Conversely, Weinstein’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, mentioned his workforce is continuous to look into juror misconduct and file motions with Judge Curtis Farber to carry the jurors again in and attempt to discover out what occurred within the jury room. (He pushed for this many instances over the previous few days, however 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 informed press outdoors the courthouse.
The aim is to get the conviction thrown out. However, the jury had reached unanimous verdicts on the opposite two counts, and the foreperson had mentioned in courtroom that he was not coerced into these choices.
If that doesn’t occur, Aidala plans to enchantment Weinstein’s conviction on the one felony cost. He added that he didn’t know whether or not Weinstein will stay at Bellevue Hospital, the place he’s been all through the trial, or return to Rikers.
Aidala’s workforce has repeatedly pointed to their client’s poor health over the previous months, and he mentioned that may even be one thing they bring about up throughout sentencing. Weinstein additionally nonetheless faces a 16-year jail sentence in California, after being convicted in 2022 of rape and different intercourse crimes. Aidala’s workforce 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 mentioned. “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.”
