Harvey Weinstein’s third New York rape trial ends in mistrial

Harvey Weinstein’s third trial in New York over allegations he ​used his Hollywood clout to prey upon and sexually abuse women ended in a mistrial on Friday, after a jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict on a charge he raped the aspiring actress Jessica ​Mann. Weinstein (74) is expected to ​remain behind bars due to his convictions in other cases.He was a top US film producer until sexual misconduct allegations led to his downfall and fuelled ⁠a wider social movement that encouraged women to come forward with accounts of sexual ‌abuse ‌by ​powerful men.The case, brought by the Manhattan district attorney’s office, centred on allegations that Weinstein raped Mann in a Manhattan hotel room ⁠in 2013 while Mann ​resisted and repeatedly said “no”.READ MOREWeinstein had pleaded not guilty ​to one count of third-degree rape and has denied assaulting anyone or having non-consensual sex. ‌His lawyers have argued that Mann ​fabricated the rape allegation after regretting that her consensual romance with Weinstein failed to advance ⁠her film career.At his first ⁠trial in New ​York in 2020, Weinstein was convicted of raping Mann and assaulting onetime production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006. But the state’s highest court overturned the conviction and Weinstein’s 23-year prison sentence after concluding he did not get a fair trial.Jessica Mann. Photograph: AP A Manhattan jury then convicted Weinstein of sexually abusing Haley at a trial in June 2025, but found him not guilty of assaulting former model ‌Kaja Sokola.The jury deadlocked ⁠on the third-degree rape charge accusing Weinstein of assaulting Mann, leading justice Curtis Farber to declare a mistrial on that count. The retrial began ‌in April.Weinstein was also convicted of rape in California in 2022 and is serving a 16-year prison ​sentence. He is appealing that conviction and sentence.The Miramax studio ​co-founder will face up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced for abusing Haley. – Reuters