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.
