Rape case against Harvey Weinstein dropped after mistrial
Harvey Weinstein will not stand a new trial relating to the alleged rape of Jessica Mann.
In May, Weinstein was tried on one count of rape in connection with the hairstylist, which allegedly took place in a New York hotel in 2013. Weinstein denied the charge, which ended in a mistrial on May 15th.
Following the decision on June 25th to not progress with the case, Mann said in a statement, which was read out in court by a prosecutor (via Sky News), “After a lot of thought and reflection, I have chosen not to proceed with a fourth trial against Harvey Weinstein.”
Mann added, “It was clear to me at this last trial I could no longer endure going through this any longer.”
In 2020, he was found guilty of raping Mann in 2013 and assaulting production assistant Miriam Haley in 2006. However, the decision was later overturned on the grounds that it wasn’t deemed to be a fair trial.
At the retrial in 2025, he was found guilty of raping Haley but found not guilty of assaulting Kaja Sokola. The jury also failed to reach a verdict in relation to Mann’s allegations, which caused the re-trial this year.
Notably, he is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence after being convicted of rape in California during a 2022 trial, which he is appealing.
He could face up to 25 years in prison for the attack on Haley and is currently awaiting sentence in Rikers Island.
Last month, after the jury was deadlocked, in a statement shared with Far Out, Mann said that the mistrial “doesn’t in any way detract from the truth I told and the violent crimes Harvey Weinstein committed upon me and so many others. I chose to testify in three trials because I am telling the truth.”
She added, “For years I have had to relive some of the hardest moments of my life while facing attempts to shame, humiliate and discredit me in open court. I submitted myself to the highest standards, transparency, and accountability in coming forward through the justice system – choosing integrity even when the process flayed me open.
The former aspiring actor concluded, “The power of predators remains too great. I deserve justice, which is why I stand up and face unbearable public scrutiny in the name of a greater good – a world where predators are not in power.”
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.
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