Harvey Weinstein, the former Hollywood mogul whose downfall helped ignite the global #MeToo movement, has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a former production assistant in his retrial, according to a Jacaranda FM report. The jury in a New York courtroom delivered a mixed verdict on Wednesday, convicting Weinstein on one count related to Miriam Haley while acquitting him on another charge involving ex-model Kaja Sokola. Jurors have not yet reached a verdict on the rape charge involving aspiring actress Jessica Mann.
Weinstein, 73, sat in a wheelchair wearing a dark suit, largely expressionless during the proceedings. However, as he was wheeled out after the partial verdict, he reportedly muttered “Not true.”
The retrial centered on allegations from three women: Haley, Mann, and Sokola. Weinstein was convicted of forcibly performing a sex act on Haley, while the jury found him not guilty in the Sokola case and remains undecided on Mann’s rape allegation. Haley, speaking to media outside the courtroom, called the trial “exhausting and at times dehumanizing” due to the defense’s “victim shaming and deliberate attempts to distort the truth.” Still, she expressed hope: “The myth of the ‘perfect victim’ is fading.”
Tensions ran high in the jury room before the verdict. At one point, the jury foreman informed Judge Curtis Farber that he could no longer continue after allegedly receiving threats from a fellow juror. According to the judge, one juror even said, “I’ll meet you outside one day.” The heated environment prompted Weinstein’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, to call for a mistrial, citing intimidation and bias. Weinstein himself addressed the court directly, saying, “This is my life that’s on the line and it’s not fair.”
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The retrial was ordered after Weinstein’s original 2020 conviction—where he was sentenced to 23 years—was overturned due to procedural errors. That conviction had been a major milestone for the #MeToo movement, sparked by a wave of allegations from more than 80 women accusing Weinstein of sexual misconduct. Haley’s complaint was one of the central catalysts behind his original prosecution.
While Weinstein’s retrial didn’t attract the same public attention as his initial trial, partly due to the concurrent high-profile trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs nearby, it nonetheless marks a significant moment in the broader fight against sexual abuse in the entertainment industry.
Weinstein is already serving a 16-year sentence in California for a separate conviction involving the rape of a European actress. Any sentence resulting from this retrial will be added to his existing term.
Despite choosing not to testify in his defense, Weinstein admitted in a past interview to acting “immorally,” though he has consistently denied any criminal wrongdoing.
Source: Jacaranda FM
