NEW YORK (BN24) — A Manhattan jury on Wednesday convicted former movie producer Harvey Weinstein on one of the top charges in his high-profile sex crimes retrial, while acquitting him on another and remaining deadlocked on a third. The partial verdict reopened a landmark #MeToo case that had been thrown into question after Weinstein’s original conviction was overturned last year.
The jury found Weinstein guilty of a first-degree criminal sex act against Miriam Haley, a former television production assistant, stemming from a 2006 assault. He was acquitted of a similar charge involving former model and therapist Kaja Sokola. Jurors will return Thursday to continue deliberations on a third charge of third-degree rape involving actress and hairstylist Jessica Mann, who alleged Weinstein assaulted her in 2013.
Weinstein, 73, maintains his innocence and has denied all accusations of sexual assault or rape.
The split verdict followed a tense day in court, with the jury foreperson privately expressing concern over alleged bullying and pressure from fellow jurors. According to Judge Curtis Farber, the foreperson told the court he felt unable to return to deliberations due to conflict among jurors, including a comment from another member suggesting a confrontation outside the courthouse.
Weinstein made an unusual request to address the court directly, declaring: “My life is on the line, and you know what? It’s not fair… It’s time to say this trial is over.”
Defense attorney Arthur Aidala moved for a mistrial, citing concerns for the jury foreperson’s safety and the integrity of deliberations. The motion was denied by the judge, who noted the foreperson did not appear fearful, only unwilling to compromise his position. The prosecution, led by Matthew Colangelo, objected to the mistrial request, describing the juror as merely “stubborn.”
Weinstein’s retrial marked a renewed focus on the man whose fall from grace helped launch the global #MeToo movement in 2017. Once a fixture in Hollywood with Oscar-winning films such as Shakespeare in Love and The English Patient, Weinstein became a central figure in the public reckoning over sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry.
His original conviction in 2020 was hailed as a milestone for survivors of sexual violence, but it was overturned by New York’s highest court in 2024, citing procedural errors. The retrial, which began in the same Manhattan courthouse, was narrower in scope. Prosecutors were not allowed to introduce supporting testimony from accusers not directly tied to the current charges — a key factor in the retrial’s outcome.
Throughout the retrial, Weinstein’s accusers detailed how he leveraged his industry power to isolate and assault them, often under the guise of career advancement. The prosecution presented accounts from women who testified about non-consensual encounters that left them traumatized, though some acknowledged maintaining contact with Weinstein afterward — a dynamic they attributed to fear, confusion, and the desire to preserve professional opportunities.
In one instance, Haley emotionally confronted Weinstein from the witness stand. Sokola, meanwhile, became visibly shaken when cross-examined using excerpts from her private journal. Mann, who claimed she was raped by Weinstein in 2013, testified about their complex and at times consensual relationship that continued both before and after the alleged assault.
Weinstein did not take the stand in his own defense. His legal team argued that the encounters were consensual and portrayed his accusers as aspiring actresses who later reframed the interactions to align with the cultural shift brought on by the #MeToo movement. The defense asserted that the women had consensual relationships with Weinstein and were now motivated by financial gain and public sympathy.
Weinstein is currently serving a separate 16-year sentence in California following a conviction on similar charges. That conviction stands while his New York retrial continues. Weinstein is appealing the California verdict.
The Manhattan retrial resumes Thursday, with jurors continuing to deliberate the remaining third-degree rape charge. Under New York law, the charge carries a lower maximum sentence than the more severe first-degree counts but remains a felony offense.
