A Split Verdict in Harvey Weinstein’s Sex Assault Retrial in New York

Disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was found guilty of sexual assault, while being acquitted on a separate charge, resulting in a split verdict at his sex crimes retrial in New York.

The verdict was reached on June 11, convicting 73-year-old Weinstein of forcibly subjecting a woman to a criminal sex act in 2006.

He was found not guilty, however, of assaulting another woman that same year, with the jury set to continue deliberations on a third rape charge from 2013.

The jury foreperson told Judge Curtis Farber the jurors were having difficulty reaching a verdict, complaining of unfair treatment, attacks against one another, and attempts to coerce votes.

This caused attorneys for Weinstein to request a mistrial, which the judge denied.

“We’ve heard threats, we’ve heard fights, we’ve heard intimidation,” Weinstein said, addressing the court. “This is not right for me, the person on trial here.”

“My life is on the line, and you know what? It’s not fair. It’s time, it’s time, it’s time, it’s time to say this trial is over.”

Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him and remains adamant that all sexual encounters were consensual.

More than 80 women, including Hollywood actresses, have come forward since the start of the #MeToo movement in 2017, accusing Weinstein of sexual assault, misconduct, and harassment.

In 2020, he was originally convicted on rape and sexual assault charges in New York and was sentenced to 23 years behind bars. He began serving his term at Wende Correctional Facility in upstate New York.

That conviction was overturned in a 4–3 decision last year, with the New York Court of Appeals ruling that testimony from women unrelated to the case was permitted, leading to the current retrial.

Earlier this year, Weinstein, citing declining health, pleaded with Farber to move up his retrial date, which began on April 15.

He is being held at the Rikers Island jail complex, where he was being treated for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)—a type of slow-growing blood cancer—as well as diabetes, heart issues, and other ailments.[series_posts_list][/series_posts_list]

“I’m asking and begging you” to switch court dates, Weinstein told Farber at the time. “I’m holding on because I want justice for myself, and I want this to be over with.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.