Disgraced media mogul Harvey Weinstein is set for a third trial in New York after a mistrial in June as jury members couldn’t reach a decision
Harvey Weinstein is set to face trial for a third time later this year. It comes after the disgraced media mogul was convicted in June of sexually assaulting one woman.
He was also acquitted of assaulting another by a jury who could not reach a verdict in a third case. Now, the judge wants another retrial to be held this year.
On Wednesday, New York Judge Curtis Farber said he wants the trial to take place before the end of the year after a jury was unable to come to a verdict on a rape charge that accused Weinstein of sexually assaulting former actress Jessica Mann.
Weinstein, 73, denies sexually assaulting or raping anyone.
The jury in June reached a split verdict in the second of the fallen star’s New York trials. Of three charges from three different women, only one resulted in a criminal conviction. Another resulted in an acquittal, and the third, the accusation from Jessica Mann, ended in a mistrial as jury members couldn’t reach a decision.
Now, however, that mistrial might see a different ending with the latest decision. The first New York trial against Weinstein occurred in 2020. At that time, a jury returned a guilty verdict.
However, his team were successful in having the conviction overturned, which resulted in a retrial.
The sentencing for Weinstein’s conviction, according to the judge, is set for September 30. “We continue to fight,” Jennifer Bonjean, Weinstein’s attorney said, according to The New York Times. “This doesn’t change the strength of the appeal, which is strong and compelling. We will continue to fight till the bitter end.”
Following the verdict in June, Mann told the Mirror in a statement, “I would never lie about rape or use something so traumatic to hurt someone. Rape can happen in relationships – and in dynamics where power and manipulation control the narrative.
“Some victims survive by appeasing, and many carry deep empathy, even for their abusers. That’s part of the trap.
“No matter the ‘power’ I gained, I never used it to harm him. I’ve advocated for men, studied consent law to protect both victims and the wrongly accused, and kept the fight where it belongs: in the courtroom. I never even sued him civilly when I could have been awarded damages. I waived liability because I only ask for accountability.“Even in my dynamic with Harvey – the lack of a ‘seductress’ is under-discussed and the evidence that usually follows a person with those intentions. The smear campaign built around me is hollow.
“The evidence doesn’t exist because the propaganda isn’t real. It’s the nuances I fight to have heard while I’m objected at when answering in the courtroom.“Coming forward cost me everything. My privacy, my safety. I laid bare my trauma, my shame – everything I’d tried to bury just to keep living. Still, I stood up and told the truth. Again and again.”
Rape and sexual abuse * If you’ve been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
Source: Mirror
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